How we work
One page. Where the numbers come from, what the labels mean, what we will and won't do. Linked from every post.
Where the numbers come from
Primary documents. Statutes, court filings, agency data, agendas and minutes, permits, audits, budgets, federal datasets. When we cite a news story, it's because the story is the document (an on-record statement) or because we're crediting who found it first. Every article ends with a numbered list of sources — the receipts — and a human clicked each link before publication.
What the confidence labels mean
| High confidence | Verified against a primary document, often two. We'd bet on it. |
| Moderate confidence | Sourced, but a link in the chain rests on one document, an older document, or reasoning we show. |
| Low confidence | Plausible and worth your attention; we tell you exactly what's unverified. Never stated as fact in the body. |
| Unknown — we asked | Nobody has the number. We asked. The non-answer is the story. |
The four sections
Facts are checkable now. Potential Facts are arithmetic that hasn't finished happening — each carries a probability we chose and goes on the Scorecard where you can watch us be right or wrong. Unverified is a public ledger of what we've heard about institutions and decisions, what document would settle it, and whether the agency answered; nothing in it is asserted as fact, and it never concerns a person. The Undertow is everything else worth five minutes.
Who we write about
Public officials, public bodies, and public institutions, by name, for what they do in their official capacity. Private individuals and private businesses appear only when reproducing what a public record says about them, and only for what that record says. We do not characterize a private party's motives, competence, or character. We do not run satire.
Facts first, verdict second
Every piece states its sourced facts before any characterization. When we tell you something is a failure, the documents that make it one are above that sentence, not implied. Then we write the strongest case against our own piece and put it in a box you can't miss. If the box is more convincing than the article, email us.
Images
We use only photographs we took, federal government works, screenshots of public records, and charts and maps we built from public data. Never a photo from another outlet, a listing, or social media. Illustrations, where used, are labeled and never depict a real person, building, or event.
Corrections
Within 24 hours, at the top of the post, dated, and logged on the Corrections page permanently. We don't delete posts. Send the sentence and the contradicting source to [email protected].
How the writing happens
Research and drafting use AI tools against a source pack we assemble from public records. A second, adversarial pass hunts for every sentence a county attorney could call wrong. A human editor clicks the sources, reads the draft, and decides whether and when it publishes. Nothing goes out without that click. The editor, not the software, is responsible for every word.
Money
Reader-supported. No advertising from anyone we cover. If that changes, it'll be on this page first.