Evidence First

Claims should be tied to primary records, official documents, court files, company filings, archived pages, credible news reporting, or named expert material wherever possible. Readers should be able to inspect the trail behind major factual claims.

Clear Separation

Reporting, analysis, inference, and speculation should be clearly separated. When a conclusion is based on interpretation rather than a document that states it directly, the article should say so in plain language.

Source Transparency

Links should point as close to the original record as possible. Archived links are useful when public pages move, disappear, or change. Secondary sources can be used when they disclose documents, testimony, or reporting that cannot be accessed directly.

Corrections

When a material error is found, the article should be corrected. Substantial corrections should be noted in the article so readers can see what changed and why.

Independence

HOWTHEFACT exists to follow public-interest questions through evidence. Support from readers should not buy editorial control, favorable coverage, or removal of unfavorable findings.