Noteworthy events

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The Noteworthy events section of Ballotpedia articles is a standardized way to add important, pertinent, encyclopedic content beyond the basic, historical facts. Such material may deal with controversies and includes news reports, legal proceedings and other developments related to our scope of coverage. Noteworthy events give our readers the context to better understand a political topic or public figure.

Items in this section should be significant, verified by independent and reliable sources, presented in a neutral way, and have potentially long-lasting relevance to the subject. News summaries written in the past might not always seem currently relevant to a page about an elected official or a public policy; yet, such information could be of enduring value. For example, we may continue to include a dated story about a legal dispute between two politicians because it provides important background about their character, reputation or effectiveness. That might be particularly valuable for readers to make decisions in future elections.

Neutrality is a key consideration. Since our priority is to be an unbiased, nonpartisan source of political information, we are committed to presenting balanced stories without giving undue weight to any single side of an issue. The availability of valid data from different perspectives can sometimes limit how much of the story we are able to tell; nevertheless, we always try to find a variety of even-handed and trustworthy sources.

To the extent possible, content in the Noteworthy events section can be independently confirmed by readers. Rumors, gossip, or unverified allegations have no place in the Encyclopedia of American Politics, nor do trivial stories that aren’t closely related to the topic of an article. Ballotpedia writers may exercise a degree of editorial judgment over what constitutes a noteworthy event. Sections are fluid and could change over time. As a living, dynamic encyclopedia, events related to the page subject could fall in and out of notability as time advances. A noteworthy event one day could be removed two years down the road if context and time affected its significance. Ballotpedia’s editorial team retains full discretion over what might constitute notability.

We want to ensure that our pages are kept up-to-date with recent developments about the topics we follow. At the same time, we must also prioritize our resources. Each project team uses its editorial judgment to present significant events within their scope and ability. However, the Noteworthy events section is not necessarily meant to highlight what we consider to be most noteworthy. Rather, it contains significant elements contributing to the overall understanding of an article’s subject.

Queries about why a certain event was (or was not) included on a Ballotpedia page can be emailed to editor@ballotpedia.org. Please include a link to the page in question.