The Anna Progress is an independent, community-run news publication dedicated to keeping the residents of Anna, Texas informed about the community around them.

Our goal is to provide accurate, useful and genuinely local reporting without viewing the news through the lens of an agenda. We believe readers should be able to understand not only what we report, but the standards we use when reporting it.

The following standards guide the reporting, editing and publication of content by The Anna Progress.

Accuracy & Sourcing

Accuracy comes before speed.

The Anna Progress relies on firsthand reporting, interviews, public records, government documents, meeting agendas and recordings, official statements, photographs, public data and other verifiable sources when reporting the news.

Whenever practical, we favor primary sources and direct documentation over secondhand accounts. Information obtained from another publication or outside source should be appropriately attributed.

Rumors, speculation and unverified claims should not be presented as established fact. When important information cannot be independently confirmed, that limitation should be made clear to readers.

Quotes should accurately represent what a source said and should not be edited in a way that materially changes their meaning.

Fairness & Context

The Anna Progress strives to report events in their proper context and accurately represent the people, organizations and issues involved.

When a story contains significant criticism, allegations or disputed claims involving an identifiable person or organization, reasonable efforts should be made to obtain their perspective when appropriate.

Fairness does not necessarily require giving every possible viewpoint equal space. Our responsibility is to provide readers with the relevant facts, perspectives and context necessary to understand the story.

We will distinguish between what is known, what has been alleged, what remains uncertain and what represents someone’s opinion.

Independence & Conflicts of Interest

The Anna Progress is independently operated and is not affiliated with the City of Anna, Anna Independent School District, any political party, campaign, candidate or other government organization.

Our coverage should not be determined by personal relationships, political interests, financial interests or pressure from the people and organizations we cover.

When an editor or contributor has a significant personal, professional, political or financial connection to the subject of a story that could reasonably call their independence into question, The Anna Progress may disclose that relationship, assign the story to another contributor or recuse that person from the reporting or editorial process.

Coverage of a person, business, organization, event or viewpoint does not constitute an endorsement by The Anna Progress.

News, Opinion & Reviews

The Anna Progress distinguishes between news reporting and opinion.

Articles presented as news should distinguish established facts from allegations, analysis and opinion. The personal political views of an editor or contributor should not be presented as news.

Opinion articles, columns, letters or other commentary should be clearly identified so readers understand what they are reading.

Reviews are inherently subjective. Restaurant, entertainment and other reviews should reflect the genuine experience and judgment of the person conducting the review. Subjective assessments should be attributed to the reviewer rather than presented as objective fact.

The Anna Progress does not accept payment in exchange for favorable news coverage or reviews.

Anonymous Sources

The Anna Progress generally favors named, attributable sources.

Anonymous sourcing may occasionally be appropriate when information is important to the public, a source has a legitimate reason for requesting anonymity and we are reasonably confident in both the source’s identity and the reliability of the information provided.

The identity of an anonymous source should be known to the editor responsible for the story.

Anonymous sources should not be used simply to allow someone to make unsupported personal attacks, spread rumors or avoid accountability for an opinion.

When anonymity is granted, we will provide readers with as much information about the source and the reason for anonymity as reasonably possible without revealing the source’s identity.

Photographs & Contributor Material

The Anna Progress publishes original photography, contributor photography, appropriately licensed material and other images that we reasonably believe we have permission or the legal right to use.

Photographers and outside contributors should be credited when appropriate.

Submitted photographs, statements and other material may be edited for length, clarity, formatting or presentation, but should not be altered in a manner that materially misrepresents their original meaning.

Images used for news reporting should not be manipulated in a way that materially changes the reality of what was photographed.

Illustrations, conceptual images or substantially altered images should be identified when there is a reasonable possibility that readers could mistake them for documentary photographs.

Corrections

The Anna Progress takes factual errors seriously.

When we determine that an article contains a meaningful factual error, we will correct it as promptly as reasonably possible.

Substantial corrections may include a correction or editor’s note explaining what was inaccurate and what was changed. Minor spelling, grammar, formatting or typographical corrections that do not change the substance of a story may be made without a correction notice.

When new information becomes available after publication, an article may be updated. An update that adds new information to an otherwise accurate story is not necessarily a correction.

We will not knowingly leave materially inaccurate information published simply because correcting it may be inconvenient or embarrassing.

The Anna Progress does not ordinarily remove accurate published material solely because it later becomes unfavorable or inconvenient to a person or organization involved.

Readers who believe we have made an error are encouraged to contact us. Correction requests should identify the article and information believed to be inaccurate and, when possible, provide documentation or another source that allows us to review the claim.

Headlines & Social Media

Headlines, captions, graphics and social media posts are extensions of our journalism and should meet the same basic standards of accuracy as the reporting they represent.

Headlines should accurately reflect the substance of an article and should not exaggerate what the available evidence establishes.

Social media posts promoting our reporting should not materially distort the underlying story, remove essential context or present speculation as fact.

We may use creative, humorous or informal presentation where appropriate, particularly for sports, weather, entertainment and community coverage. The tone of the presentation should remain appropriate to the seriousness of the underlying subject.

Local Focus

The Anna Progress exists first and foremost to cover Anna, Texas.

Our reporting may extend beyond Anna’s city limits when a story has meaningful relevance to people who live, work, attend school or conduct business in the community.

Coverage of neighboring communities, Collin County and the surrounding region may be appropriate when events there have a practical or distinctive connection to Anna residents.

Geographic proximity alone does not necessarily make a story local. Likewise, statewide or national events should not be presented as Anna news without a meaningful local connection.

Our purpose is not to report everything happening everywhere. It is to report the things that matter here.

Contacting Us About an Error

Accountability includes hearing from our readers.

If you believe an article published by The Anna Progress contains a factual error, missing context requiring clarification or another significant problem, please contact us using the form below or by emailing us directly at editor@theannaprogress.com.

Please include the article in question, identify the information you believe should be reviewed and, when possible, provide supporting documentation or a source that can help us evaluate the issue.

All correction requests will be reviewed. A request for a correction does not automatically mean a correction will be made; changes will be made when our review determines they are warranted.

Questions regarding these editorial standards may also be submitted using the form below or by emailing editor@theannaprogress.com.

Last updated: October 2026