Editorial standards
How we research Discover Dilworth
Sourcing, sponsorship boundaries, corrections, and what we won't publish — laid out plainly so you can judge our work.
Independence
Editorial independence and sponsorship
Discover Dilworth is written and edited independently. We accept sponsorship from four local businesses — a custom builder, a real estate brokerage, an interior design studio and an AV integrator — and that sponsorship is disclosed on every page where a sponsor appears and in full on our Advertising & Sponsorship Disclosure.
Sponsorship buys a labeled placement — a callout box describing that business's services, inclusion on our resources page, and the ability to receive introduction requests. It does not buy editorial approval rights, influence over how we describe the neighborhood's history or regulatory environment, or any say in our comparisons with other Charlotte neighborhoods. No sponsor reviews or edits our copy before publication.
Sourcing
Our sourcing standard
For any factual claim about regulation, school assignment, or parcel data — the categories most likely to affect a real decision — we cite a primary source: the City of Charlotte, the Historic District Commission, Mecklenburg County's assessor and POLARIS parcel system, or Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools directly. We avoid citing aggregator sites or other blogs for facts of this kind, and every FAQ answer on this site links to the specific agency that supports it.
For softer, qualitative claims — how a street feels on a Saturday morning, which restaurant draws the longest wait — we rely on direct, repeated observation rather than invented statistics. Where we can't verify a precise number confidently, we speak in ranges and qualitative terms rather than present a fabricated figure as fact.
Currency
How we handle figures that change
Zoning ordinances, historic district standards, school boundaries, market prices and transit schedules all change — sometimes with little public notice. Every page citing this kind of information links directly to the agency's own current page, rather than restating a number we can't guarantee will still be accurate when you read it. When we learn something has changed, we update the relevant page and note the revision date at the bottom of legal and policy pages.
Accountability
Our corrections policy
If you find something inaccurate or out of date, tell us. We review every correction request, and where a claim is wrong, we fix the page — typically within a few business days for straightforward factual errors, longer for claims that require re-verification with a government office. If we decide not to change something, we'll explain our reasoning if you ask.
Boundaries
What we refuse to publish
Challenge us
How to challenge something we've published
Use the form below, or our Contact page. Include the page URL, the specific claim you're disputing, and — where possible — the primary source you're checking it against. We'll investigate and respond.
Editorial
Submit a correction or question
Found something out of date? Tell us what's wrong and where you verified it, and we'll update the page or explain why we didn't.
Frequently asked
Our process, answered
Does sponsorship affect what you write about the neighborhood?
No. Our four sponsoring partners fund labeled placements and introductions, but have no input into our editorial coverage of history, architecture, zoning, schools or comparisons with other neighborhoods.
Source: City of Charlotte Unified Development Ordinance (2023)
How do you handle facts that change, like zoning rules or school boundaries?
We cite the primary government source directly on every such claim so readers can check the current version themselves, and we revisit and update pages when we learn a figure has changed.
Source: City of Charlotte Unified Development Ordinance (2023)
How do I get something corrected?
Use the correction form on this page or our Contact page. We review every submission and either fix the page or explain, on request, why we didn't.
Source: City of Charlotte
Sources & verification
We cite primary sources so you can check our work. Figures, assignments and regulations change — confirm anything you plan to rely on directly with the agency below.
Continue
Related pages
- Dilworth FAQEvery question we get, answered with a source.
- The Complete Dilworth GuideEvery chapter of the guide, organized by what you're trying to do.
- Contact & IntroductionsAsk a question or get introduced to a vetted local specialist.
- Start HereA ten-minute orientation to the neighborhood and this guide.
Next step
Have a question about our process?
We're happy to explain exactly how a specific page or claim was researched.