What’s up, Stratford? is an independent news and guide site for Stratford-upon-Avon, run by Alex Harrington, who grew up in the town. This page explains where our news comes from, how we use AI, how we check what we publish, and what we do when we get something wrong.
On this page
Where our news comes from
We report from original, public sources wherever we can:
- Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Warwickshire County Council: news, meeting papers, decisions and the recordings of council meetings
- public registers, such as planning applications, licence applications and the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene ratings
- Warwickshire Police
- organisers and venues, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
- you: readers, businesses and community groups who tell us what’s happening
Every story links to the source it’s based on, so you can check it yourself. We don’t copy other publications. If another outlet reported something first and we can’t confirm it from an original source, we say so and link to them.
How we use AI
We use AI tools openly, and they’re the reason a small, independent team can cover Stratford this thoroughly. Twice a day, they check official sources for anything new, read the documents and meeting recordings, and draft stories in plain English.
Before anything is published, every date, name, number and quote is checked against the original source. Routine updates, such as road closures, event dates and the results of council meetings, can be published once those checks are done. Stories about crime, court cases, disputes or named individuals are always reviewed by Alex before they go live.
When we quote a council meeting, the quote comes from the official recording, and we link to it. We only name a speaker when the recording makes clear who was speaking.
Fact-checked guides
Our guides, such as parking, bin collections and where to stay, carry an “Updated” date and a “Fact-checked” badge when we’ve checked them against official and primary sources. The box at the bottom of each guide says when and how it was checked. Things change, so if you spot something out of date, please tell us.
Corrections
We work hard to get things right, but we will sometimes get things wrong. When we do, we correct the story as soon as we can and add a note at the end saying what changed and when. We don’t quietly delete mistakes. To report an error, contact us with a link to the story and what’s wrong.
Independence
We’re not linked to any council, political party or campaign, and we try to explain local decisions fairly rather than take sides. We don’t accept payment for news coverage. If we ever write about a business or organisation we have a commercial relationship with, we’ll say so in the article, and any sponsored content will be clearly labelled as sponsored.
Photos
We use our own photos, photos supplied by organisers, or Creative Commons photos credited to the photographer. We never use AI-generated images to show real places, people or events.
Privacy
We report on public decisions, businesses and organisations, not private lives. For example, we don’t publish the names or house numbers of people applying for planning permission for their own homes, and we only name people in police stories where the police have already done so. Our privacy policy explains how we handle data on this site.
Tell us what’s happening
Got a story, an event, or news about your business or group? Get in touch. We read everything, and we’ll always check it before we publish.