Editorial standards
Evidence before explanation.
Speed matters when attention is moving. Accuracy matters more.
Source before sentence
Research is completed before drafting. Material factual claims must map to evidence in our newsroom record. We favor official records and direct sources, then reputable original reporting. Google News and Google Trends help us discover a story; they are not treated as proof.
No anonymous certainty
We distinguish confirmed facts, probable interpretations, disputed claims and unresolved questions. Numbers are copied from verified material or omitted. Names are checked against source material. Exact language appears in quotation markup with attribution; paraphrases must preserve meaning.
Accountable publication
Standard-risk stories may pass a disclosed automated integrity desk; sensitive or uncertain stories require a named human editor. Every indexable article is tied to an immutable version, its evidence snapshot and its approval source. An edit made after approval creates a new version and requires a new gate. We do not use invented authors, fabricated expertise or synthetic firsthand experience.
High-risk coverage
Stories involving death, arrests, allegations, private individuals, health, finance or politics receive additional checks for defamation, right to reply and at least two independent sources. Unresolved triggers do not become explanatory articles.
Independence
Advertisers and technology providers have no right to review or influence our editorial conclusions. Sponsored material, if introduced, will be clearly labeled and separated from newsroom work.
Who is responsible
Responsibility is held by named desks rather than anonymous bylines. The Editorial Desk ([email protected]) approves every publication; the Trends Desk ([email protected]) operates attention telemetry; the Evidence & Corrections Desk ([email protected]) owns source verification and the corrections log. Any of them can be challenged directly by email, and our right to reply applies to all coverage.