Last updated: August 16, 2026
This Corrections, Updates and Retractions Policy explains how Ridgecrest Online at https://ridgecrestonline.com, part of the Times Media Service network, reviews reported errors and makes substantive changes to published editorial content.
Our approach
We aim to correct material factual errors promptly, proportionately, and transparently. We distinguish a correction from a routine update, clarification, stylistic edit, editor’s note, or retraction so readers can understand why an article changed.
A complaint does not automatically establish that an article is inaccurate. Editors assess the available evidence, the original reporting, and the nature and public impact of the concern before deciding what action is appropriate.
How to report a possible error
Send correction requests to corrections@timesmediaservice.com. To help us review the matter, please include:
- The article headline and URL.
- The exact statement, image, caption, or other material you believe is inaccurate.
- A concise explanation of the alleged error.
- Reliable supporting documents, links, or other evidence, when available.
- Your name and a way to contact you if clarification is needed.
Requests that identify a specific, verifiable issue can be assessed more effectively than general objections. We may prioritize concerns involving public safety, serious reputational harm, legal risk, or information that could materially affect readers’ decisions.
Review process
An editor may review the published article, source materials, notes, recordings, documents, data, and information provided by the complainant. We may consult the reporter, another editor, a knowledgeable source, or the subject of the coverage when appropriate.
We seek to reach a fair decision without allowing pressure, status, advertising relationships, or threats of unfavorable treatment to determine the outcome. When practical, we may notify the person who raised the concern of our decision. We do not guarantee individual correspondence or a fixed response time for every request.
Types of changes
Minor edit
Spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, broken links, and similar edits may be corrected without a public note when they do not change the article’s meaning.
Update
An update adds newly available information to an otherwise accurate article. Material updates display an updated date and may include a note explaining the new information. A developing story may be updated several times as reliable information becomes available.
We do not change an article’s original publication date merely to make old material appear new. An update is not labeled as a correction unless earlier material was inaccurate.
Clarification
A clarification improves wording that was factually supportable but materially ambiguous, incomplete, or open to a misleading interpretation. A visible note may be added when the clarification significantly affects how readers understand the article.
Correction
When a material factual statement is wrong, we correct the article itself and add a visible correction note. The note should explain what was inaccurate and what changed, while avoiding unnecessary repetition of harmful false information.
Editor’s note
An editor’s note may provide context about sourcing, reporting, an integrity concern, a legal development, or an ongoing review that readers need in order to assess the article.
Retraction
Retraction may be appropriate when an article’s central account, evidence, or conclusion is fundamentally unreliable and cannot be repaired through an ordinary correction. The page should carry a prominent notice explaining the action to the extent responsible and feasible.
Where appropriate, the URL and retraction notice may remain available to preserve the public record. Article material may be removed or limited when legal obligations, privacy, safety, copyright, or the risk of continuing serious harm justify doing so.
How substantive corrections appear
For a material correction, our normal practice is to:
- Correct the inaccurate material in the article.
- Add a visible note describing the substance of the error and the correction.
- Preserve the original publication date.
- Display the date of the correction note and a materially updated date.
- Avoid silently rewriting an article in a way that materially changes its meaning.
The precise placement and wording of a note may vary with the seriousness and context of the error. A correction note is not normally used for inconsequential typographical or formatting changes.
Other distribution channels
When practical, we also correct a material error in newsletters, alerts, social media posts, or syndicated copies that remain under our control. We may ask a distribution partner to update a copy, but we cannot guarantee changes to material controlled by an unrelated third party.
Removal, anonymization, and de-indexing requests
We assess requests to remove, anonymize, or limit access to accurate published material individually. Relevant considerations may include:
- Whether the information remains accurate and serves a continuing public interest.
- The passage of time and later developments.
- Privacy, safety, and the risk of disproportionate continuing harm.
- The age or vulnerability of the people affected.
- Legal obligations, court orders, and intellectual property rights.
- Whether correction, clarification, contextual updating, or anonymization would address the concern more appropriately than removal.
An article is not ordinarily removed solely because it is unfavorable, embarrassing, or later becomes inconvenient. We cannot guarantee removal from search engines, archives, screenshots, or copies controlled by third parties.
Requests for further review
If you disagree with a corrections decision, you may request further editorial review and provide additional evidence. The final decision about the publication’s editorial record rests with the responsible editor or editorial management.
Policy review
Times Media Service may update this policy as editorial systems and practices change. The date shown above identifies the latest published version.