Independent reporting only holds up if readers can see the machinery behind it. Below we lay out where our stories come from, how we check them before publishing, what we do when we get something wrong, and how we mark the difference between a reported story and an opinion piece.
Every piece starts with a person or a document, not a topic. A reporter files a beat note naming who they spoke to, what record they read, and what is still unconfirmed. That note stays with the story through editing.
Staff reporting from a named beat: technology, business, policy, sports, local New York, society, or world events. The reporter has spoken to sources directly or reviewed primary documents.
Material from a wire service or partner outlet, published with the source named at the top of the story. We do not relabel agency copy as our own reporting.
Argument and analysis, carried under the Opinion section and marked in the header of the piece. Opinion writers follow the same sourcing rules for facts they cite, but the conclusions are theirs.
Updates to a story we already published, filed when a new document surfaces or a source changes their account. The update is dated and, where the change is material, explained in the corrections log.
Nothing runs on a single phone call. An editor reads every piece against the reporter's notes and asks three questions about the load-bearing claims: who says so, what record backs it, and what would change our mind.
A factual claim needs either two independent sources who can be named to the editor, or one primary document we have seen. Where only one named source is possible, the story says so and explains why.
Anyone facing a significant allegation in a story is asked for comment before publication, with a reasonable deadline. Their response, or a note that they did not reply, appears in the piece.
Any figure in a headline or lede is traced back to the record it came from and checked against that record by a second editor before the story goes out.
Each story carries one of a small set of labels so you can tell at a glance what kind of reporting you are reading. The label sits at the top of the piece, in the dateline area, not buried at the bottom.
The reporter gathered the facts. Interviews, documents, or direct observation sit behind the story, and the sources are described in the piece.
The story comes from an agency or partner outlet, with the source named at the top. Editing may shorten it or fix a quote, but the reporting is not ours.
A reporter with beat knowledge explains what a piece of news means. The analytical claims are marked as such, and the underlying facts follow the same verification rules as any other story.
An argument, written in the first person where the piece calls for it. Facts the writer cites are checked like any other facts; the conclusion is theirs alone.
News and opinion run in separate sections, and the label at the top of every story makes the difference visible. An Opinion piece never appears in the sections feed without its label. An original reporting piece never carries an argument as a fact.
When a beat reporter writes an analysis piece, the label says analysis rather than original reporting, so you can weigh the words accordingly. The reported facts inside it are held to the same standard as any other verified story.
When we get something wrong, we fix it in the story and say so. A correction changes a fact: a name, a date, a figure, a sequence of events. A clarification does not change a fact but sharpens wording that could be misread. Both are noted at the foot of the corrected story with the date of the change.
Our target for fixing a straightforward factual error once it is confirmed, whether we found it or a reader did.
When a correction needs a longer review, we say in the note what is still being checked rather than leaving the story unmarked.
Corrected stories stay online with the note visible. We do not quietly delete the original to make the record look cleaner.
If something in a piece looks wrong, tell us. The most useful notes name the story, quote the sentence, and point to the record you are checking it against. You do not need to prove the error for us to look.
Send corrections to TheodoreMeyer@elishayong.com or call +1 833 292 3148 during weekday hours. We read every note, even when a story does not change.
Name the story in the subject line. If it is a short piece, the headline is enough; if it is a longer one, add the section.
Quote the sentence you are questioning. A direct quote makes it possible for us to find the exact place without guesswork.
Point to the record you are checking against, if you have one. A document, a transcript, or a named source gives us somewhere to start.
Tell us how you would like to be reached. If we need to follow up, a reply address is the fastest route; if a note is anonymous, we will still check it.
The best way to test this page is to open a story and look for the label, the dateline, and the sourcing. If any of them fall short of what is described here, tell us and we will look at it.
