Standards

How we fact-check

Newsrooms and creators cite outlets they can audit. This page is why they can audit us.

We follow the evidence. When the evidence cuts against our own side, we say so. Our job is an honest, correct public record, not a team scoreboard. We are funded by readers, take no ads and no sponsors, and run no third-party trackers.

The verdict scale

Every claim we check gets a public verdict, so we can say "this was close" without lumping a 90%-true statement in with a lie. This is the verdict on the claim we are checking - separate from the teal "Verified" mark, which certifies that our own reporting is sourced and checked.

TrueAccurate and supported by primary sources.

Mostly TrueAccurate in substance, with minor caveats.

MisleadingA true-ish core used to deceive, or missing key context.

Mostly FalseA kernel of truth, but the central claim is wrong.

FalseContradicted by the evidence.

How we reach a verdict

Isolate one checkable claim at a time, quoted exactly.
Find primary sources first: bills, rulings, datasets, transcripts, filings, records.
Archive everything: link plus a screenshot plus an archive copy, so it cannot be deleted.
Weigh the strongest counter-case before ruling.
Assign the verdict the evidence supports, not the harshest available.
Show the work: every step is visible in the article and the source list.

Corrections and independence

We correct in public. Errors get a dated note on the article and an entry in the public corrections log. We are reader-funded, ad-free, and sponsor-free; reporting is separated from opinion and labeled. For how this newsroom is produced, see how we work.