TellingPointy uses a research-first workflow. The newsroom gathers and evaluates evidence before an article is drafted; it does not write a conclusion and then search for material that appears to support it.
Discovery is not verification
Search engines, news aggregators, alerts, and social platforms help identify developing stories. Their listings, snippets, and trending signals are discovery tools. Verification comes from the underlying reporting, primary evidence, or both.
Building the source record
For each story, the named desk editor looks for the original event or record, relevant chronology, independent corroboration, and credible context. Multiple articles repeating the same unverified claim do not become independent confirmation merely through repetition.
Evaluating evidence
- Authority: Is the source in a position to know?
- Proximity: Is it a primary record, direct witness, or original report?
- Specificity: Does it support the exact claim being made?
- Recency: Is it current enough for the status described?
- Independence: Are supposedly separate reports relying on the same origin?
- Limitations: What does the evidence not establish?
Higher-risk subjects
Medical, legal, financial, safety, election, and serious-allegation stories receive a higher verification threshold. Status, jurisdiction, eligibility, study stage, and material qualifications should be explicit.
Links, source notes, and questions
Where legally and technically possible, articles link to useful sources or list them in a source section. A link is offered for transparency and context; it is not an endorsement of every statement on the destination site. Questions about a source choice may be sent to the relevant editor in the newsroom directory or to Helena Ward at managing.editor@tellingpointy.com.