Kings of the 845 is an independent Hudson Valley media platform covering Section IX athletics, recruiting, local businesses, schools, community organizations, events, culture, public-interest information, and the people shaping the 845.
Our goal is to publish accurate, fair, useful, and responsible coverage while maintaining a clear separation between editorial decisions and commercial partnerships.
Accuracy and Verification
KOT845 works to verify names, statistics, scores, schedules, records, quotations, recruiting information, and other factual claims before publication.
Information may be confirmed through:
- Direct communication with athletes, coaches, schools, families, businesses, organizations, or public officials
- Official schedules, records, announcements, and documents
- Firsthand observation
- Reputable media reports
- Publicly available information
When information cannot be independently confirmed, it may be identified as preliminary, reported, expected, or unconfirmed.
Corrections and Updates
KOT845 corrects material factual errors as quickly as reasonably possible.
Corrections may include:
- Updating inaccurate names, dates, scores, statistics, or records
- Clarifying incomplete or misleading language
- Adding information that materially changes the context of a story
- Removing information that was published in error
Minor spelling, grammar, formatting, or style changes may be corrected without a formal notice. Significant corrections may include an editor’s note explaining what was changed.
Correction requests can be submitted through the KOT845 Contact page.
Fairness and Context
KOT845 aims to provide appropriate context and avoid presenting speculation as fact.
Individuals, teams, businesses, schools, or organizations facing significant criticism or allegations may be contacted for comment when reasonably possible.
A lack of response does not automatically prevent publication, particularly when the information is supported by reliable records or other verified sources.
Sources and Attribution
KOT845 identifies sources whenever possible.
Anonymous sourcing may be used when:
- The information is important to the public
- The source has direct knowledge of the subject
- Identification could create a legitimate risk of retaliation, harm, or loss of access
- The information can be independently supported
KOT845 does not knowingly present another publication’s original reporting, photography, graphics, or video as its own.
Coverage of Student-Athletes and Minors
KOT845 regularly covers high school and youth athletes. This responsibility requires additional care.
Coverage should avoid unnecessarily publishing:
- Private contact information
- Home addresses
- Medical information that has not been publicly disclosed
- Sensitive family information
- Information that could create an unreasonable safety risk
Public athletic achievements, recruiting information, school-related participation, statistics, awards, interviews, and competition results may be reported when relevant.
KOT845 may remove or revise content involving a minor when there is a compelling safety, privacy, or accuracy concern.
Recruiting Coverage
Recruiting coverage may include offers, commitments, visits, interest, evaluations, film, measurements, performance, and athlete development.
An offer, commitment, visit, or recruiting update should be confirmed through the athlete, family, coach, school, college program, or another reliable source whenever possible.
KOT845 does not guarantee scholarships, roster positions, recruiting exposure, or college opportunities.
Editorial recruiting coverage is not sold to athletes or families.
Rankings and Awards
KOT845 Power Rankings, player lists, awards, evaluations, and similar features are independent editorial products.
Decisions may consider:
- Verified performance
- Strength of competition
- Team success
- Consistency
- Current form
- Championship impact
- Statistics
- Film
- Firsthand observation
- Information from coaches and other reliable sources
Rankings are not official standings and may include editorial judgment.
Sponsors, advertisers, partners, athletes, coaches, schools, and businesses do not purchase placement in editorial rankings or awards.
Sponsored Content and Advertising
KOT845 accepts advertising, sponsorships, branded campaigns, community partnerships, and promotional content.
Paid or sponsored content should be clearly identified when appropriate using language such as:
- Sponsored
- Presented by
- Paid partnership
- Advertisement
- Community partner
- Promotional content
Sponsors may receive branding, promotion, website placement, social-media exposure, event participation, and campaign reporting.
Commercial relationships do not guarantee favorable editorial coverage and do not determine rankings, awards, reporting conclusions, or story placement.
Conflicts of Interest
KOT845 personnel may have relationships within local athletics, schools, businesses, coaching, and community organizations.
Relevant conflicts should be disclosed when they could reasonably affect how readers interpret the coverage.
Editorial decisions should not be used to settle personal disputes, reward personal relationships, or punish individuals or organizations.
Opinion and Analysis
Opinion, commentary, predictions, rankings, and analysis may reflect the judgment of the author.
Opinion-based content should be presented in a way that distinguishes it from verified news reporting.
Strong criticism should remain focused on performance, decisions, public conduct, or matters relevant to the coverage.
Community Submissions
KOT845 accepts story ideas, event information, photographs, videos, announcements, scores, statistics, corrections, and other community submissions.
Submitting material does not guarantee publication.
By submitting content, the sender represents that they have the right to share it and grants KOT845 permission to review, edit, publish, distribute, and promote it across KOT845 platforms unless otherwise agreed in writing.
KOT845 may reject submissions that are inaccurate, misleading, unlawful, unsafe, discriminatory, excessively promotional, or inconsistent with its editorial standards.
Photography, Video, and Social Media
KOT845 may publish original media, submitted media, embedded social-media posts, publicly available promotional materials, and properly credited third-party content when permitted.
Credit should be provided when the creator is known and attribution is appropriate.
Requests involving copyright, ownership, credit, or removal should be submitted through the Contact page with sufficient identifying information.
Independence
KOT845 is independently operated and is not an official publication of Section IX, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, any school district, athletic department, team, league, government agency, or sponsoring business unless specifically stated.
Contact
Questions, corrections, concerns, copyright notices, and editorial inquiries may be submitted through the KOT845 Contact page.
These standards may be updated as KOT845 expands its coverage, staff, technology, partnerships, and editorial operations.