A news story is a series of claims. Our job is to know, for each one, how we know it. This is the process a story goes through at ALP News.
1. The claim list
Before drafting, the reporter writes down the factual claims the story will make: names, titles, figures, dates, quotations and the sequence of events. Each claim needs a source — a document, a dataset, an on-the-record interview, or a named official.
2. Primary documents first
Where a document exists, we use it. Court orders, gazette notifications, budget papers, company filings, academic studies and official data releases are preferred over summaries of them. We link to the document when it is public.
3. Interviews and quotations
Quotations are checked against recordings or contemporaneous notes. We do not clean up quotes in ways that change meaning. Anonymous sourcing is used only when the information is in the public interest, the source has direct knowledge, and the editor knows who they are.
4. Independent verification of numbers
Percentages and totals are recomputed from the underlying dataset where possible. If a figure comes from an advocacy group, we say so and we say what the group is.
5. The fact-check pass
A fact checker can attach a verification checklist to specific claims. Only a named person with the fact-check permission can sign it off, and that signature is recorded.
6. Editorial approval
Publication requires an approval from an editor. The article page shows the approver and the date. If a story changes after publication, a new revision is recorded.
7. After publication
If a claim turns out to be wrong, we correct it visibly, date the correction, and keep the revision history. Serious failures are reviewed by the editor-in-chief.
What this does not mean
Verification is a process, not a guarantee. Sources can be wrong; documents can be incomplete. When that happens, the correction is the story.
Sources and documents
- ALP News editorial policy — ALP News (primary)
