Stet: From Latin, meaning “Let It Stand.” Used by editors in print copy to indicate that a word or passage previously deleted should be retained.
About Stet News
Our mission: To provide accurate, fair and valued journalism that holds public officials accountable, helps citizens engage in civic life and reflects the rich diversity of the Palm Beach County communities we serve.
Why Stet was created: Stet News was started to fill the gap in news and civic information left by the contraction of the county’s major newspaper and other community news and information sources.
With Palm Beach County’s growing population, now at more than 1.5 million residents, the need is greater than ever for strong local accountability reporting. Stet News makes the public aware of important decisions being made by government officials, businesses and other organizations that impact the health and wealth of residents and communities.
Studies show communities that don’t have steady, high-quality coverage have higher taxes, lower bond ratings, less voter turnout, less civic participation and more corruption. We believe a well-informed community is essential to making Palm Beach County a better place to live, work and play.
Original reporting: Since launching as a weekly digital newsletter in early 2023, Stet News has produced hundreds of original stories that otherwise would not have come to light. We also partner with WLRN public radio to distribute our content.
The ways we’ve served the public include:
Alerting the public to major new commercial and residential projects.
In-depth reporting on high-profile criminal cases and the justice system.
Amplifying citizen voices on crucial actions taken by local governments, from annexation to development.
Reporting on numerous government meetings and studies that would otherwise have gone uncovered.
Injecting context and institutional knowledge into the public debate.
Reliance on donations: As a nonprofit, local public interest news site, our newsletter and website are free to access. However, like most nonprofit news sites, we rely on donations for a large part of our operating budget so we can pay our editors, reporters, freelancers and interns and invest in the tools we need to produce quality journalism.
We hope readers will become “members” of Stet News by making a tax-deductible donation to help support our local journalism.
Financial transparency: Stet News accepts gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
Our news judgments are made independently — not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office.
We will not accept donations from sources deemed by our board of directors to present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
We make public our revenue sources and donors who give $10,000 or more per year.
Editorial conflicts of interest: Stet News is committed to avoiding conflicts of interest, real or perceived, that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage the news organization’s credibility.
Our journalists will not work on stories or projects in which they have a unique vested interest — financial or personal. However, they may moderate panels or speak at events so long as their role is purely journalistic.
Stet journalists do not accept meals or gifts from people they may write about, or from representatives of businesses and governments they may cover.
They do not engage in political activities, such as supporting candidates. Even small actions such as putting up yard signs are not allowed.
Stet employees always pay their way when traveling for editorial purposes.
Corrections and clarifications
We are committed to correcting our mistakes.
To request a correction or clarification, email us at stetmediagroup@gmail.com and let us know your concerns. Our editors will re-examine the published information and make a formal response as soon as possible.
Clarifications and corrections will be published in the newsletter and/or on the platforms in which the information in question appeared. The correction or clarification will be noted and appended to archived stories.
Our team and board of directors*
*In the coming year, we will be expanding our board of directors. Currently, the four team members listed below also comprise Stet News Inc.’s board.
Joel Engelhardt, co-founder, president
Joel is Stet’s senior reporter who also serves as an editor. He is an award-winning reporter who spent more than 40 years in the newspaper business, including 28 years at The Palm Beach Post. As a Post reporter, Joel covered countywide growth, the 2000 election and the birth of CityPlace in West Palm Beach. As an editor, he oversaw probes into the opioid scourge, private prisons, police-involved shootings and more. For seven years, he worked on the paper’s editorial board, interviewing candidates for local office and writing editorials and a weekly column. Joel left The Post in December 2020. He volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the board of the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.
Carolyn DiPaolo: co-founder, senior editor
Carolyn is the primary editor of Stet’s newsletter and website. She also reports.
Carolyn is a former senior editor and business editor at The Palm Beach Post. For more than 15 years, she oversaw some of the most consequential stories published by the paper, including the “Corruption County” reporting project that led to multiple arrests of elected officials. Carolyn was responsible for a multimillion-dollar budget and helped lead a newsroom of 50 editors and reporters, many of whom were honored with national awards, including recognition from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center of Media, Politics and Policy; the National Association of News Editors and Investigative Reporters and Editors. Carolyn also helped spearhead the newsroom’s digital reporting and publishing efforts. She is a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2013.
Liz Capozzi, audience engagement manager
Liz leads Stet’s social media, messaging and other digital communications efforts. Most recently, Liz served as a senior account manager for Flagstar Bank, working across the organization to serve clients’ needs. Before that, Liz was director of operations and communications for the Everglades Trust., a political advocacy organization that supports restoration of the Everglades. In those and previous roles, her responsibilities have included a range of project planning and management.
Pam Fine, senior adviser
Pam is helping guide Stet‘s audience growth and revenue. Pam is a veteran journalism leader, educator and consultant. She was the managing editor of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and the Indianapolis Star before becoming the Knight Chair for News, Leadership and Community at the University of Kansas. She is now a professor emerita. Most recently, she served as a regional manager for Report for America, a groundbreaking nonprofit that supports local journalists and news sites. Fine is a former president of the American Society of News Editors, a four-time Pulitzer Prize judge and a former Poynter Institute Ethics Fellow.
2024 budget
