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Process audit: attribution caution and numeric verification recommended
Summary
Audit of draft articles flagged one process issue: ambiguous mapping of certain administrator voices to specific named administrators in the transcript; recommended fix: avoid naming administrators unless they self‑identify or are introduced, and verify numeric claims (salaries, fund balances) against staff documents.
Audit summary: After drafting articles from the May 26 Goshen board workshop transcript, the assistant reviewed the coverage for adherence to attribution and numeric‑precision rules. The draft followed speaker‑attribution policy by using names only where the transcript showed explicit self‑identification or a direct introduction. However, the draft risked implying specific administrative names for speakers who did not self‑identify on the record.
Issue and fix: Several administrative speakers spoke about salary and financial numbers in first or third person but did not clearly provide their name in the transcript at the turn where the statement occurred. To avoid misidentification, the revised articles: (1) attribute quotes to the functional role used consistently in the speaker list (e.g., "Administrator") rather than a personal name unless that name appears in the same segment; (2) mark approximate dollar amounts when speakers used rounded or conversational figures; and (3) recommend verifying payroll and fund‑balance figures with the district business office before publication.
Outcome: The articles were revised to follow these fixes. Editors should confirm final pay figures, the $5,046,501 fund balance appropriation, and rehiring counts (15 of 23) with the district's published documents or staff prior to final publishing.
