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Hudson Common Sense holds itself to the standards of a serious newsroom and the conduct of a serious neighbor. The masthead is smaller. The discipline is not.

This page sets out how Hudson Common Sense reports, edits, and engages. The standards we hold ourselves to, and the conduct we expect of our contributors. The masthead is smaller than a daily newsroom’s. The discipline is not. Three principles govern everything we publish. They are drawn from the professional standards of The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, adapted for a town of fewer than 6,000.

1. Evenhanded. We endorse local candidates and write sharp political commentary, but the goal is a non-partisan city, neither blue nor red. We are small-r republicans and small-d democrats. We elevate independent candidates who put competence, transparency, and the public interest above party. We will never tell you to vote blue no matter who, or red no matter what.
2. Accurate before fast. We verify before we publish. We do not chase breaking news; we write commentary on it. For real-time reporting we point readers to Gossips of Rivertown, the Times Union, and the Register-Star. Hudson Common Sense is by design a slow follower. In a town where facts often emerge only after a story has developed, this is a feature, not a bug.
3. Transparent and accountable. We disclose conflicts of interest and relevant commercial ties. We do not donate to candidates or causes. Our editorials carry the byline "The Editors" in the tradition of The Economist; Guest Op-Eds carry the author's name. We separate personal and professional communications: iMessage is social, work email is on the record. We name public actors in full and protect the privacy of private residents. The more power, money, or public trust a person holds, the less privacy they get in exercising it. If a subject does not respond and meets The Threshold Test, we stop the outreach and remain open to a reply at any time. See The Threshold Test for the full standard.

Hudson Common Sense exists to dismantle the Hudson Machine, the standing political order that governs in its own interest while invoking the public's. The Machine runs on three moves: Municipal Capture, the flow of public money to private and nonprofit intermediaries who lobby for more; the Hudson Handicap, the cost paid by the Working Middle Class in taxes, assessments, and regulations; and Hudson Hypocrisy, the progressive language deployed to make Capture legible as virtue. We serve the Hudson Heroes: the Builders, Stewards, and Citizens who pay the bill and keep the city standing. The end is Hudson Growth.

Read more from the WSJ on News Literacy and the difference between News & Opinion.

Watch this video and explainer on the difference between News & Opinion from the WSJ

*Why “The Editors”?

Hudson Common Sense speaks with one voice, shaped by editors and contributors who debate every piece before it runs. Editorials, Special Reports, and Briefings carry the byline "The Editors." Guest Op-Eds carry the author's name. The Shallot is signed Benjamin Irving, the satirist we share with Franklin and Washington Irving. The tradition is older than the country. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote as Publius. The Economist still publishes its hive byline today. The ideas stand on their own, judged by readers rather than résumés. Several of us work in London, New York, Washington, or Kinderhook, and prefer to keep professional life separate from civic life in Hudson. We are not seeking office. We are seeking a town that is Efficient, Evenhanded, and Equal under the law.

Read more: Nieman Foundation on The Economist’s quasi anonymous hive byline.

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Agreement is welcome. Disagreement is vital. Nuance is rare and therefore prized. Common Sense exists to sharpen arguments, not settle them. Submit your guest op‑ed HERE.

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Hudson Common Sense is the only outlet in town that actively seeks out opposing views and invites its critics onto its own platform. Every editorial, Op-Ed, and column carries a footer requesting corrections and inviting counter-speech.

*Backstory: Challenging Power in a Town That Prefers Silence

When Hudson Common Sense began, it took several months to find our footing. Honest local candidates and lobbyists liked what we did, until the spotlight turned toward them or someone they knew. Many of the people who run Hudson have never been asked a serious question in public. File a lawful FOIL request, ask for an IRS Form 990, and you may be told you are harassing the city. You are not. You are doing what residents are entitled to do.

A second group is more elaborate. Credentialed in dialogue and "curiosity," they treat ordinary debate as persecution. They invoke "emotional safety" and "community" to demand deference for stories they themselves brought into the public square, often while running for office or lobbying the public purse. Push back on the proposal and you are told you have attacked the person. Residents want neither. They want public debate that respects personal privacy and does not flinch from scrutiny of public ideas and public actions.

A town unwilling to question its leaders will not govern itself honestly. Hudson Common Sense is the answer to that question, asked monthly, in print.

We harass elected officials and lobbyists with books.

We harass elected officials and lobbyists with books.