VOICES of the FORGOTTEN & 716 GIRL IN ATL
Standards & Disclosure

Editorial Standards, Corrections & Privacy

The rules this show holds itself to, stated plainly, so anyone — a family, an investigator, a listener, or a subject of coverage — knows exactly where we stand.

Last updated August 2026

Editorial standards

Voices of the Forgotten is reported journalism, not commentary or dramatization. Every episode is built to newsroom standards, and the same rules apply whether a case is thirty years old or currently active:

  • Nothing enters an episode without a documented source behind it — public records, court filings, contemporaneous news coverage, or direct interviews.
  • Confirmed facts are presented as confirmed. Allegations, family accounts, and claims not verified by law enforcement are labeled as exactly that, every time.
  • Freedom of Information Act requests are filed directly with the relevant agencies. Where a request is pending, denied, or partially fulfilled, that status is stated on the air and on this site.
  • Where an account is disputed, the dispute is reported rather than resolved by us.
  • Speculation is not presented as reporting. When a question is open, it is described as open.

Disclaimer on open cases and allegations

Many cases covered on this show are unresolved, and some involve people who have never been charged with a crime.

  • Naming a person as a suspect, a person of interest, or a subject of an allegation is not an assertion that they committed a crime.
  • Every person is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law. Nothing on this site or in any episode should be read as a finding of guilt.
  • Manner-of-death rulings, inquest outcomes, and investigative conclusions belong to the agencies and courts with jurisdiction. Where we report that such a ruling is disputed, we are reporting the existence of the dispute, not substituting our own conclusion.
  • Nothing here is legal advice, and this show is not a substitute for law enforcement. Information about a crime should go to the agency with jurisdiction — tip lines for the cases we cover are published on the Cases page.

Corrections

Getting it right matters more than getting it first, and that means correcting the record openly when we get something wrong.

If you believe something we have published or broadcast is inaccurate, write to voicesoftheforgottenpod@gmail.com with the episode or page, the specific claim at issue, and any supporting documentation. Every request receives a response.

Substantive factual errors are corrected on this site, and where the error appeared in an episode, acknowledged in a subsequent episode. Corrections are noted rather than quietly removed — a corrected record that hides the correction is not a corrected record.

Families and the people at the center of these cases

Families are consulted, not used as content. Where a family asks that a detail be withheld, that request is weighed seriously against the public interest in reporting it. Graphic material is included only where it is necessary to understand the case, never for effect.

Privacy

What this site collects

The inquiry form on the Press & Partnerships page collects the name, email address, organization, inquiry type, and message you choose to submit. Submissions are handled by Netlify, this site’s hosting provider, and delivered to us.

That information is used solely to respond to your inquiry and to keep a record of the correspondence. It is never sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing.

What this site does not do

This site sets no advertising or tracking cookies and runs no third-party analytics or advertising scripts. Standard server request logs are retained by our host for security and operational purposes.

Confidential information and tips

Please do not send confidential or sensitive material through the web form — it is not a secure channel and is intended for press and partnership inquiries. To share information about a case in confidence, email or call directly and we will agree on a secure method first.

Other platforms

Links from this site to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Patreon, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube lead to services with their own privacy policies and their own data collection, which we do not control. Patreon in particular handles its own membership signup and payment processing; we never see your payment details.

Requests

To ask what we hold about you, or to have your inquiry and correspondence deleted, write to voicesoftheforgottenpod@gmail.com.

Contact

Cindy Gersch — voicesoftheforgottenpod@gmail.com  •  315.486.0239