Methodology
Provenance, not prophecy.
Verifiedmeans a story's provenance, method, and sourcing are documented and auditable. Verified does not mean “true.” We give readers a trail they can walk, not a verdict to take on faith. This distinction lives at the top of every page, on every badge, and in every public statement we make.
The three tiers
Honesty about the tier isthe credibility. Breaking news cannot get the same depth as a six-week investigation — the tier label tells you exactly what you're looking at.
Primary sourcing confirmed; quotes and attributions verified against the record.
Sourced, plus corroboration by an independent record or a second on-record source.
Cross-checked, plus an original document, on-record interview, or forensic verification.
The standards floor
- Sourcing. Aligned with SPJ ethics and NICHD-style attribution discipline. Claims of record (legislation, votes, filings, on-record statements) are the work we verify best, and the lane we start in.
- Conflict disclosure. Required from submitting outlets and named sources.
- What gets rejected. Anonymous claims without corroboration, manipulated media, and undisclosed AI-generated content.
- Appeals. Disputed marks have a public appeals path with a named editor, a named timeline, and named outcomes. The standard is identical for a national wire and a citizen submission.
Corrections are part of the brand
When a verified story is later shown to be wrong, we revoke its receipt publicly, with the reason — and the badge on the partner's page changes state to show it. Nothing is buried. The correction log is public and searchable.