Editorial standards
Trust should be inspectable
These standards govern published newsroom work and the relationship between our journalism, our technology, and our funding.
Evidence first
We prefer primary material: official bill text, roll calls, court filings, budgets, audits, transcripts, datasets, contracts, campaign finance records, and direct interviews. Major factual claims should link to or clearly identify the source whenever publication and source safety allow.
Accuracy, context, and labels
Speed does not excuse a false or misleading account. Headlines and summaries must be supported by the underlying reporting. News, analysis, opinion, sponsored material, and advertising must be distinguishable to a reasonable reader.
Corrections and updates
Material errors are corrected promptly and transparently. A correction explains what was wrong and what changed; substantial updates are dated. Quiet copy edits that do not change meaning may be made without a note. See the corrections log.
Independence and conflicts
Coverage decisions belong to the publication. Advertisers, vendors, political campaigns, parties, candidates, and advocacy groups do not receive favorable treatment or prepublication review. Relevant financial or personal conflicts should be disclosed with the work.
Automation and artificial intelligence
Automation may assist with research, transcription, classification, or drafting, but a person remains accountable for publication. Generated language must be checked against source material. We do not invent quotations, sources, events, images, or missing facts, and we label materially synthetic editorial media.
Advertising rules
Ads must remain recognizable as ads and cannot imitate navigation or editorial content. We do not ask readers to click ads, place ads where accidental clicks are likely, or serve ads on account, form, private, unfinished, or otherwise low-value screens. Editorial staff do not promise coverage in exchange for advertising or payment.