Legal Notice, Editorial Policy & Disclaimers

The 901 Report is an independent, non-partisan civic accountability publication covering Memphis and Shelby County government. It is not affiliated with any political party, candidate, campaign, government agency, or public official.

Coverage includes the Memphis City Council, the Memphis Police Department, the City of Memphis administration, the Shelby County Commission, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and Memphis Light, Gas and Water, along with state and federal matters affecting Shelby County residents.

References on this site to "the administration" or "the Young administration" refer to the executive branch of city government under Mayor Paul Young, which is separate and distinct from the Memphis City Council, the legislative branch. The same distinction applies at the county level between the office of the Shelby County Mayor and the Shelby County Commission, and at Memphis-Shelby County Schools between the superintendent's administration and the elected board.

Substantial portions of this site, including headlines, kickers, callouts, chart framing, analysis pieces, accountability trackers, and "Questions Council Should Ask" sections, constitute commentary, criticism, and opinion on matters of public concern protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution.

Statements about elected officials and public administrators are directed at their official conduct and the public record. Where we characterize public decisions using words such as "diverted," "shortchanged," "gap," "unexplained," or "questions raised," those words reflect the editorial opinion of The 901 Report based on the underlying public documents, and are not statements that any individual has committed a crime or any other unlawful act.

Reporting on this site is anchored to public records. Those records include City of Memphis and Shelby County operating and capital budgets and ordinances, Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission agendas, minutes, and meeting recordings, Memphis-Shelby County Schools board materials and budget documents, Memphis Light, Gas and Water board materials and rate filings, audits and reports of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, court filings and dockets, state and federal agency filings, and records obtained under the Tennessee Public Records Act.

Numeric figures, exhibit references, and page citations are drawn from those documents and cited to their source. Where a figure is disputed, or where sources conflict, we say so. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the original source documents and form their own conclusions.

The 901 Report maintains an archive of publicly broadcast meetings of Memphis and Shelby County governing bodies, including indexed video and searchable transcript text.

Transcripts published on this site are produced by automated speech recognition software. They are unofficial, uncertified, and not verbatim. Automated transcription can misrender words, punctuation, numbers, and proper names, and it can attribute a statement to the wrong speaker or fail to identify a speaker at all. A transcript on this site is a finding aid for the underlying recording. It is not the official record of any meeting, and it is not a certified transcript.

Where a recording and a transcript conflict, the recording controls. The official record of any public meeting is the record maintained by the governing body itself. Readers, researchers, and other journalists should confirm any quotation against the recording before relying on it or republishing it.

Before The 901 Report publishes a direct quotation drawn from an archived meeting, the corresponding passage of the recording is reviewed. Quotations that appear in our reporting are checked against audio. Raw transcript text in the archive is not individually reviewed.

If you believe a transcript on this site misstates something you said, contact us through the Contact page with the governing body, the meeting date, and the passage at issue. We will review it against the recording and correct or annotate the transcript.

Meetings of public bodies in Tennessee are open to the public, and recordings and documents produced by those bodies are public records. The 901 Report indexes and preserves this material so that it remains available to residents after an original posting is moved, replaced, or removed. Preservation copies may be deposited with third-party archives, including the Internet Archive.

Government documents and government-produced recordings are reproduced here as public records and for the purpose of reporting on and commenting on public business. Where third-party material appears, it is used in limited excerpt for news reporting, criticism, and commentary. See the DMCA & Takedown section below.

Nothing on this site is intended to assert, imply, or accuse any named individual of fraud, theft, criminal conduct, ethical violations, or any other unlawful act. References to public officials concern their roles in authoring, proposing, administering, defending, or voting on public business.

An arrest, an indictment, a criminal charge, a civil lawsuit, an audit finding, or a referral is an allegation. It is not a conviction and it is not proof of wrongdoing. Every person identified on this site in connection with a criminal charge is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law, and every party to a civil matter is entitled to a defense.

Audit findings and management letters describe management, control, and compliance failures. They are not findings of criminal conduct unless the issuing authority says so expressly, and we do not report them as such.

The Mayor of Memphis, the Mayor of Shelby County, members of the Memphis City Council, members of the Shelby County Commission, the Shelby County Sheriff, the Chief of the Memphis Police Department, the Superintendent and elected board of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the President and board of Memphis Light, Gas and Water, division directors, and senior appointed officials are public figures or limited-purpose public figures with respect to their official duties and the public business they conduct. Commentary on their official acts is published in good faith on matters of public concern.

The 901 Report publishes under the name of the publication rather than individual bylines. Editorial responsibility for everything published here rests with The 901 Report. Correction requests, right-of-reply requests, and legal notices directed to the publication through the Contact page receive a substantive response.

We correct material errors of fact promptly. If you believe a number, citation, quotation, transcript passage, or characterization on this site is inaccurate, contact us through the Contact page with the URL, the specific statement at issue, and the source you believe supports a correction. Public officials and their staff are offered a right of reply that we will publish alongside the original item.

Content on this site, including any public-service guide to benefits, programs, deadlines, or filings, is provided for general informational and civic purposes only. It is not legal, financial, tax, insurance, medical, or employment advice, and it is not a recommendation to vote for or against any candidate or ballot measure. Eligibility, deadlines, and outcomes depend on your specific circumstances. For advice about your situation, contact a licensed professional or the official agency involved.

Links to third-party sites, including memphistn.gov, shelbycountytn.gov, and state and federal agency sites, are provided for reader convenience. We do not control and are not responsible for the content of those sites.

Tips submitted through the Contact page or to our tips address are reviewed editorially. We do not publish tips verbatim, and we do not represent any tip as verified fact unless and until we independently confirm it against public records or other reliable sources.

We do not store IP addresses, user agent strings, or session identifiers with tip submissions, and tip records are readable only by the publication. No form submitted over the internet can be guaranteed anonymous. If your safety or your employment depends on anonymity, do not use a work device or a work network, and consider contacting us from a personal device using an email account that is not tied to your name.

Sending a tip does not by itself create a source relationship or a promise of confidentiality. If you need one, say so before you send details, and wait for a response.

"City of Memphis," "Shelby County," department and agency names, and any official seals referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification and commentary purposes under nominative fair use.

If you are a rights holder and believe material on this site infringes a copyright you own, contact us through the Contact page with a description of the work, the URL on this site, and your contact information. We will review and respond in good faith.

The 901 Report makes good-faith efforts to ensure accuracy but provides this site on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by law, The 901 Report, its contributors, and its operators disclaim liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on information published here, including reliance on automated transcript text.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising from use of this site shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee.

For corrections, right-of-reply requests, legal notices, or press inquiries, use the Contact page.