Editorial standards
A good sentence
has to stand up.
The principles we will use to commission, edit, verify, and publish the magazine.
An argument can be forceful without outrunning what is known.
These standards set the terms for our first issue and the work that follows. They are obligations to meet before publication, not a claim that reporting has already been completed.
Show how we know.
Build factual reporting from firsthand observation, original records, and attributable sources wherever possible. Check quotations against recordings or original text. Verify names, dates, numbers, captions, and links. Keep a source record that allows an editor to trace the central claims.
Distinguish fact, inference, allegation, and opinion. Describe material uncertainty. An unsupported claim gets more reporting, narrower wording, or no place in the piece.
Give a fair hearing.
Seek a meaningful response from people and organizations facing substantive criticism. Ask about the actual points at issue and allow a reasonable opportunity to answer. Represent relevant responses fairly and investigate evidence that challenges the premise.
Agree on attribution and interview terms in advance. Anonymity requires an editorial reason, an assessment of the source’s knowledge and motives, and appropriate corroboration.
Make the relationships clear.
Disclose material financial interests, close relationships, paid work, and other conflicts. Label reporting, criticism, opinion, interviews, satire, and sponsored material clearly.
Advertisers, donors, and partners do not determine editorial conclusions. Paid promotional material must be identified as such.
Edit the whole claim.
Substantial reporting receives a reader other than its author. Review the argument and structure, verify the factual claims, edit for clarity, and proof the final page. A changed claim goes back through verification.
Headlines, captions, illustrations, and promotional copy must be supported by the work beneath them. The deadline does not resolve an unanswered factual question.
Respect the record and the maker.
Credit photographs and illustrations. Confirm permission and the scope of use. Identify archival material, illustration, composites, and reconstructions accurately. Do not alter documentary imagery in a way that changes what happened.
AI output is not a source. No invented quotations, scenes, documents, or interview subjects. Material use of generative tools should be disclosed when it affects what readers receive.
Correct the record in public.
Investigate reported errors promptly. Correct material mistakes on the page and add a dated note explaining what was wrong and what changed. Distinguish corrections from updates. Correct associated headlines, captions, and distribution copy where necessary.
A monitored corrections contact will be published before the first issue. No reported articles have been published on this site yet.