Source Attribution Policy

How We Use Sources

Our reporting is built around transparency. We want readers to understand where information comes from, what has been verified, what remains alleged, and what source material shaped each story.

We use public records, court filings, official statements, agency releases, documents, interviews, reader-submitted materials, and verified open-source information when reporting public-interest stories. When a story relies heavily on an official release, public filing, or government source, we identify that source where practical and avoid presenting official claims as independently proven facts unless they have been verified through additional reliable material.

Sources may include court filings, indictments, complaints, plea agreements, judgments, sentencing records, docket entries, official statements, public records, audits, meeting records, public notices, reader-submitted material, verified open-source material, and prior reporting when credited.

Allegations, Charges, and Claims

If information comes from an official statement, we label it as an official statement. If information comes from a court filing, lawsuit, indictment, complaint, or other allegation-based record, we do not treat it as a final finding simply because it appears in a public document.

We aim to distinguish what is alleged, charged, admitted, found by a court or agency, disputed, or still unverified. Criminal charges and civil lawsuits are not final findings, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court where applicable.

Reader-Submitted Material

Reader-submitted material can help identify leads, documents, timelines, public-interest concerns, or missing context, but submission does not guarantee publication, response, confidentiality, payment, legal protection, or investigation.

Material may be declined if it is unverifiable, unlawfully obtained, exploitative, irrelevant, misleading, private without meaningful public-interest value, or likely to place someone at risk. We may use reader-submitted material as a lead, background context, verification target, or not at all.

Corrections and Updates

If a source changes, is corrected, contradicted, withdrawn, or clarified, we may update the story, add an editor's note, publish a correction, or follow up with additional reporting. Readers who see a sourcing issue should review our Corrections Policy and use the Contact page to send evidence-backed concerns.

Related pages include Editorial Standards, Public Records Policy, and Non-Affiliation Disclaimer.