# Trust & Safety
Last updated: April 4, 2026
HastingsNow.com is operated by Local Pigeon, Inc. We built HastingsNow and Soundbites to make local information easier to share, easier to understand, and easier to trust.
This page explains what our labels mean, how we moderate content, and what we do today versus what is still planned.
## 1. Our core commitments
We aim to:
- identify paid or sponsored material clearly
- distinguish self-reported information from independently reviewed material
- review high-risk topics more carefully than routine local updates
- honor good-faith correction and takedown requests
- keep internal records of moderation, correction, and safety decisions
- avoid overstating certainty where evidence is incomplete
## 2. What our labels mean
### Verified local
We have verified the identity or local connection of the organization, business, or person to our satisfaction.
This label does not mean every factual claim in a post has been independently verified.
### Self-reported
The main claim or update comes from the speaker, organization, or source itself.
This label tells readers where the information originated. It is not a guarantee of literal truth.
### Reviewed by HastingsNow
A human reviewer checked the content for policy, readability, format, and basic trust/safety issues.
This label does not mean every statement has been exhaustively fact-checked.
### Sponsored / paid placement
The item, placement, or distribution includes paid promotion or sponsorship.
We aim to label sponsored content clearly and prominently.
### Corrected / updated
We changed the item after publication to improve accuracy, add context, clarify wording, or fix an error.
## 3. What we moderate more carefully
We apply extra review or restraint to content involving:
- minors
- health, legal, or financial claims
- accusations about specific people
- harassment, threats, or hateful content
- graphic or exploitative content
- privacy-sensitive information
- impersonation, synthetic voice misuse, or deceptive media manipulation
We may hold, label, limit distribution, reject, remove, or escalate such content.
## 4. Sponsored content and editorial separation
We label sponsored placements and keep sales decisions separate from trust/safety review.
A paid relationship may affect placement or distribution, but it does not override our moderation rules or safety standards.
## 5. How ranking and distribution work
Not all HastingsNow surfaces are purely chronological.
Depending on the surface, we may consider factors such as:
- freshness and timeliness
- locality and category fit
- trust/safety review status
- verification state
- editorial judgment
- community response signals
- duplication or spam risk
Sponsored content may appear in sponsored positions, but organic editorial treatment and moderation decisions remain subject to our policies.
## 6. AI and model-assisted work
We may use software tools, including AI tools, to assist with:
- transcription
- formatting
- spelling and grammar cleanup
- draft generation
- image, video, or media production
- moderation support
AI assistance does not by itself make a claim trustworthy. Where risk is higher, human review matters more.
## 7. Corrections, challenges, and takedowns
If you believe something is false, misleading, unsafe, or infringing, contact us at info@HastingsNow.com.
Please include:
- the URL or item in question
- what you believe is wrong
- the basis for your request
- any supporting evidence or context
- your preferred contact information
We may:
- correct the item
- add context
- label it
- limit distribution
- hide or remove it
- decline the request
We keep an internal record of correction and takedown decisions.
## 8. What is live today vs. what is planned
### Live today
- sponsor labeling
- self-reported / reviewed distinctions where used
- human review lanes for higher-risk content
- correction / takedown handling
- internal moderation records
### Planned, not guaranteed
We may add clearer provenance indicators, stronger reliability signals, content credentials, and periodic transparency reporting as the system matures.
If and when those features launch, we will describe them here in concrete terms.
## 9. Contact
For trust, safety, or correction issues: