CORRECTIONSThe Citizen strives to ensure that all information published in print, online and through social media is fair and accurate. Occasionally, errors occur. When they do, we will correct them as soon as we have identified and confirmed them or been made aware of them and confirmed them. Any necessary corrections will be noted at the top of an online article and then made in the appropriate portion of the article. Corrections of information that appeared in print also will be issued in the subsequent print edition. Please contact us at citizen@henricocitizen.com or (804) 262-1700, ext. 1 to report any content that you believe requires a correction or clarity.
FACT-CHECKING
The Citizen has served Henrico County since 2001 and prides itself on its adherence to exceedingly high standards of fairness and accuracy. Articles that appear in print, online or through our social media outlets undergo a process of fact-checking to ensure that these standards are met. In addition to requiring these standards of our reporters, each original article also is reviewed, edited and fact-checked by our managing editor, who has more than 27 years of experience as a journalist in Henrico County, and our editor/publisher, who has more than 24 years of experience as a journalist in Henrico County.
ETHICS POLICY
The Henrico Citizen and T3 Media, LLC adhere to an ethics policy that dictates several key missives:
• The Citizen strives always in its coverage to present to its readers a fair, accurate and representative account of the news. Coverage is reviewed to ensure that these elements are met and that our coverage provides proper perspective at all times.
• The Citizen does not accept paid advertisements of any type in exchange for editorial coverage. Editorial coverage decisions are made by the editorial team (see below) with regard only to the news worthiness of specific topics. Advertising decisions have no impact upon the type of coverage (general or specific) that is included in the Citizen’s various publication.
• The Citizen does not accept gifts of any type from any organizations or entities that it covers or may cover editorially.
OWNERSHIP AND FUNDING INFORMATION
The Henrico Citizen, HenricoCitizen.com and its related publications are owned by T3 Media, LLC, a Henrico, Virginia-based entity wholly owned by publisher Tom Lappas. The company does not accept or use any investor funds.
EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP TEAM
The founder, owner, publisher and editor of the Henrico Citizen is Tom Lappas, who created the company in 2001. Lappas has more than 24 years of professional experience as a journalist in Henrico County, Va. He is a 1998 graduate of the University of Richmond with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has served as an adjunct professor in the university’s journalism department (in 2016 and 2018). Lappas has overseen the Citizen, which has earned 250 awards for excellence in journalism, since its inception.
The managing editor of the Henrico Citizen is Patty Kruszewski, who joined the company at its inception in 2001. Kruszewski has more than 27 years of experience as a journalist in Henrico County, Virginia. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Lamar University and has earned more than 150 awards for journalistic excellence during her time at the Citizen.