How we work
Plain rules, applied the same way every time.
Where the facts come from
| Source | Checked | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Google News (headlines only; we cite the outlets) | hourly | working |
| FTC and Justice Department press releases | hourly | working |
| Federal Register | every 2 hours | working |
| SEC EDGAR filings | every 3 hours | working |
| SEC annual report figures | every 24 hours | working |
| Senate lobbying reports | every 6 hours | working |
| Federal Election Commission | every 12 hours | working |
| USAspending.gov | every 12 hours | working |
| CourtListener court dockets | every 6 hours | working |
The rules every story passes
- Every number, date and dollar figure must appear in the linked sources, or the story is not published.
- A second, independent read checks every sentence against the sources. Anything unsupported kills the story.
- Headlines from news sites are leads, not facts: the outlet's own article is read and cited.
- Allegations name who makes them and carry the company's response, or say there was none.
- No motive claims, no outrage words, no lifestyle gossip. Politics: the same standard for every side.
- Stories show the source's own date. Older records are marked as older.
- The same event from several outlets becomes one story, not five.
Words we avoid
| Avoid | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| exploitation, weaponizes | is designed to, is built to, engagement design | Describe the mechanism and cite the research or filing. Let the reader judge. |
| hijacking (the grid) | demand on the grid, large-load requests | Use the numbers: megawatts, queue position, rate case. |
| siphoning, tithes | fees, commissions, revenue | Give the rate and who set it. |
| war chests | cash reserves, cash and securities | Cite the balance sheet line. |
| political purchasing | political spending, lobbying spending | Spending is what the filings show. Intent is not. |
| dark money | spending from sources not disclosed, as defined by the FEC or IRS filings | Use the legal category, and say when a source is unknown. |
| capture, subjugation | reliance, dependence, concentration | Use 'capture' only when quoting a named source, and attribute it. |
| post-state, parallel governance | private rules with public effects, alternative-governance proposals | Describe what the rule does or what the proponent proposes. |
| conspiracy, plot, scheme, secret | nothing. Do not use them. | If it is documented, it is not secret. If it is not documented, it is not a story yet. |
| motive claims (wants to, intends to, aims to) | attributed statements: 'said in a filing', 'told investors' | No motive without a document that states it. |
How to read the labels
Every story carries exactly one label so you know what kind of evidence it rests on.
Filed record Comes straight from a government filing, court docket, SEC filing or other primary document. We link it.
Reported Comes from named news reporting. We name the outlet and link it.
Research Comes from a study, regulator report or advisory. We name the authors or agency and link it.
Company statement The company's own words: a filing, blog post, policy page or spokesperson. Shown next to any claim it responds to.
Contested An allegation in litigation or a regulatory action that the company disputes. We say who alleges it and what the company says.
Analysis Our own interpretation of the evidence. Always labeled, always kept separate from the news feed, always with the evidence it rests on.
Stated position A view held and published by a named person or group. We report what they say, not what we infer they intend.
Single source Only one outlet has reported it so far.
Corrections
When a source changes a figure we used, the story is updated with a dated correction line at the top.