Curiosity as compass: The Independent begins every story with an open question. Curiosity finds its way in through a neighbor’s offhand remark, a line in a meeting agenda, a budget number that doesn’t add up, a photograph, a phone call and even a silence that feels telling. It allows us to cover the full span of community life — government budgets, arts and history, the ordinary and the extraordinary. Curiosity keeps our lens wide and our reporting grounded in listening.
Independence above all: We are reader-powered. Our only allegiance is to Marblehead and the truth.
Accuracy always: Details matter. From town budgets to tide charts, we verify, double-check and document. Our coverage is built to be trusted and shared with confidence.
Fairness in full: We listen to all sides, attribute clearly and resist easy villains. Members of the Marblehead community deserve to see themselves treated with the utmost dignity.
No sensationalism: The Independent reports with proportion and clarity. We don’t inflate minor disputes into crises or flatten complex issues into outrage. A zoning change, a budget cut, a school policy shift — these can stir strong feelings, but we resist the easy headline. Our role is to explain what happened, why it matters and what comes next, not to chase heat.
Civic service, not commerce: The Independent is not a stepping stone or a product to be flipped. It is a public service built to strengthen civic life, not to chase clicks.
Community at the center: Our newsroom is a digital town square. Submissions, guest essays and tips are not extras — they are the Independent’s lifeblood, ensuring coverage grows from residents outward.