What makes a story worth covering?
Public interest comes first. The desk prioritizes developments in government and elections, the economy and markets, public safety and the courts, health and science, technology and business, and the daily life of American communities. Editors weigh significance, verifiability and relevance to readers. A story's traffic potential never settles the question by itself.
Where does the reporting come from?
From primary material wherever possible: official statements, court filings, government records, company disclosures, data sets and named individuals. When a story builds on another outlet's original reporting, that outlet is credited and linked. Rumor, unattributed social posts and unverifiable claims are not published as fact, however widely they circulate.
Who checks the facts?
A human editor, on every article. Names, figures, dates, quotes, titles and locations are verified against the source before publication. What cannot be verified is either labelled clearly as unconfirmed or removed. The scrutiny increases when a story carries an allegation against a named person or organization; it never decreases.
How do we mark news, analysis and opinion?
By label and by practice. Straight reporting, explanatory analysis and opinion are each marked as what they are, and commentary is never allowed to blur the reporting it draws on.
What happens when a story develops?
We update it. Material additions carry a timestamp and a note describing what changed. Errors are a separate matter and follow the Corrections Policy.
Who influences our coverage?
Our editors, and only our editors. Advertisers, sponsors and commercial partners have no say in what we cover or how we cover it. The separation mechanics are described under Advertising.
Questions about a specific article or about this policy: [email protected].