Corrections Policy
Trust is the entire product. When Open Bedford gets something wrong, it gets corrected quickly, visibly, and on the record — with a note about what changed and when.
Effective July 31, 2026 · Last updated July 31, 2026
Our Commitment
Open Bedford publishes facts drawn from official government records, and every fact links back to its source. We aim for accuracy in everything we publish, but errors can occur — in data extraction, in AI-generated summaries, or in the underlying records themselves. This policy explains what counts as an error, how to report one, and exactly what happens next. Corrections are never silently made: material fixes always carry a visible note.
What Gets Corrected
Corrections
Factual errors introduced by Open Bedford — a misstated vote, a wrong dollar figure, a summary that mischaracterizes what a document says, a name or date transcribed incorrectly. These receive a visible correction note stating what was wrong, what it was changed to, and the date of the change.
Clarifications
Content that was technically accurate but incomplete or open to misreading. These receive a clarification note explaining what was added or reworded and why.
Source Updates
Sometimes the government revises its own record — amended minutes, restated budget figures, corrected agendas. When that happens, we update our pages to reflect the current official record and note that the change originated with the source, not with us.
Errors in the Official Record
Open Bedford does not alter or "fix" official government documents. If we identify an apparent error or discrepancy in a source document, we may flag it on the relevant page — but the document itself is always presented as the government published it.
How to Report an Error
Email corrections@openbedford.org with:
- The URL of the Open Bedford page in question.
- The specific statement or figure you believe is wrong.
- If possible, the official source that contradicts it. (Every page links to its sources, so the check is usually one click away.)
Anyone may submit a correction request — you do not need to be the subject of the content. We read every report.
What Happens Next
Every report is checked against the original official document — not against memory, other media, or secondhand accounts. We aim to review correction requests within two business days. If the report is confirmed, the page is corrected and a dated correction note is added. If our content matches the official record, we will reply and explain why, with a link to the controlling document. Because Open Bedford archives source documents at retrieval time, we can verify claims even if a source page has since changed.
AI-Generated Content
Some summaries on Open Bedford are generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and are labeled accordingly. AI-generated content is held to the same standard as everything else: if a summary misstates its source document, that is our error, and it will be corrected under this policy — regenerated against the source and annotated with a correction note. Roll-call votes are reproduced by name from the minutes; individual positions on voice votes are never inferred.