Planet Princeton was founded by veteran journalist Krystal Knapp in 2011 as an online forum for all things Princeton. The mission of Planet Princeton is to provide original, fair, and accurate reporting on local news that is important to people in the greater Princeton area community in Mercer County, New Jersey. We want Planet Princeton to be a community hub where readers can share information, events, and ideas, and engage in civic discussion about local issues that are important to them.

The biggest contributors to the success of Planet Princeton are our readers. Your participation makes this site a true online community and destination for news, features, and local event information. Send your news tips and ideas to tips @ planetprinceton.com. Read more about how to submit news in our how to submit news tips page.

Planet Princeton works to follow the ethical guidelines set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. We strive to be accurate, fair, honest, and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information, and to be vigilant about holding those with power accountable while giving voice to the voiceless. We take responsibility for the accuracy of our work and seek to verify the information before releasing it. We use original sources whenever possible, and provide attribution for sources. We also support the open and civil exchange of views. We recognize our special obligation to serve as a watchdog over public affairs and government and seek to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open. We also work to access public records and make sure public records are open to all. We provide access to source material whenever it is relevant and appropriate. We seek to avoid stereotyping and give voice to those who are seldom heard, and to do no harm as a result of our reporting. We also seek to not distort facts. We label opinion writing published on our website.

We promise to never mask paid advertising as news like some other local sites do, unlike some local sites and newspapers that try to pass off paid ads as news, giving advertisers free stories in exchange for their ad purchases that aren’t clearly labeled as sponsored posts. At Planet Princeton we do not receive cash or in-kind compensation from any company we write about. The only exception is sponsored posts, which are clearly labeled as such. We pay for our own meals when we review a restaurant and buy our own ingredients when we cook. We do send reporters to some events where the reporter is allowed free entry to report and write a story. We do not endorse candidates for local, state or national office on our website, and do not attend the events of private political clubs, political fundraisers, or campaign events of candidates for local, state or national office in order to avoid any appearance that we may be endorsing a particular political candidate. We also do not donate to political campaigns for any office.

We always seek to engage readers and love hearing from you. We welcome your feedback and story ideas. When we make mistakes, we attempt to correct them. Submit your corrections to editor@planetprinceton.com.

Planet Princeton’s comment policy can be found here.

About the Publisher and Founding Editor

Planet Princeton Editor

Krystal Knapp was a staff writer at The Trenton Times for more than a decade. Her stories have appeared in the Star Ledger, the Washington Times, and other national and regional publications and have been syndicated through the Newhouse News Service. A native of Detroit, Krystal earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College in German Studies with a focus on the literature and history of the Holocaust, and her master’s certificate in entrepreneurial journalism from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. She is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the New Jersey News Commons. Krystal has been featured in various local, regional, and national publications for comment about Princeton issues, including the Washington Post, NPR, and the New York Times. An avid cyclist, Krystal enjoys travel, animals, collecting (and reading) books, antique typewriters, and vintage glassware.

Letters to the editor and news should be sent to editor @ planetprinceton.com. Letters should be between 250 and 1,000 words if possible. Click here to read our letter policies.

Krystal can be reached at krystal @ planetprinceton.com or (609) 375-8920.