Farms/farmers, markets, commodities, trends

Local businesses: openings/closings, key people, product development/launch, new job announcements

No further information or rating needed

Updates and schedules: road, school or office closings/openings, elections, resources sharing

News focusing on people of color and their communities

Serious, felony assaults, murder, armed robbery, etc. Police, major criminal cases, court personnel (judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys)

Job trends, unemployment, stock market

Colleges/universities, students, instructors, coursework, funding (state/federal)

Local school districts, trends, classrooms, teachers, funding (state and local)

Land, water, air, wildlife issues; parks, water bodies

Arts, community festivals/events, profiles, celebrity

State and local issues, elected and appointed officials

Includes hospitals and medical providers, illness, epidemics/pandemics, health insurance, access to services

Layoffs, unions, labor issues, job safety, job training

Military, national defense, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, veteran's issues.

Political parties, candidates, issues, elections

Stories specifically about racism or sexism

Stories about social trends or changing demographics

Human services, poverty, nonprofits, religious institutions

Women’s health, reproductive rights, equal opportunities

Articles (and photos) in this category have very little news value. They may be public-relations handouts published nearly or completely verbatim that are not subjected to journalistic rigor. Or they may be original reports that fail to answer key questions (who, what, when, where, how, why), or otherwise fail to meet basic journalistic standards.

Articles in this category are written by local news staff or stringers, but contain errors or significant omissions, are significantly biased or incomplete, and/or demonstrate a writer’s lack of understanding of the subject. These articles may be written based on information from a single source, do little to advance a story, and/or do not meet critical community information needs. Articles deserve a two-star rating if they do not fairly represent all relevant sides of a controversy or political debate.

Articles in this category contribute to the public’s understanding of critical information, are free of errors and significant omissions, answer all relevant questions and have multiple, diverse (in viewpoint) sources. Information contained in these articles may be available elsewhere. They could be categorized as routine news stories that meet basic expectations.

Articles in this category are original reports that drill deeply into a subject representing a critical information need. They contain all the attributes of three-star stories, but provide information, insight and analysis not readily available elsewhere. They may tackle important topics that are rarely reported, or “get ahead” of other news outlets in reporting emerging topics and trends. They are scrupulously fair and accurate and use a variety of sources and public documents when relevant.

Articles in this category meet all the criteria for four stars, but are investigative pieces that use original reporting to uncover wrongdoing/malfeasance by people in positions of public trust, such as public officials, business leaders, social service and health care providers, school and university officials and church leaders. They may also uncover serious deficiencies in law or regulation and make the case for reform.