How we work.
Primary sources first
Every dollar figure, every date, every name on this site traces to a primary document — a DOJ press release, an agency Inspector General report, a GAO audit, a court filing, a Federal Register notice, an FEC report, a state legislative auditor report, or a congressional committee release. Secondary news coverage is only a pointer to that primary document, never a standalone citation.
Source mix — judge the story, not the brand
Primary federal and state documents (DOJ charging documents, GAO audits, agency Inspector General reports, court filings, Federal Register notices, state auditors, congressional committee releases) are tier one and always cited first. For secondary outlets, we prefer wire services (Reuters, AP, Bloomberg), the Wall Street Journal news desk, and outlets with strong factual records — including right-of-center investigative desks (Fox News Digital, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller, The Free Press, RealClearInvestigations) and strong local investigative desks (KARE 11, Detroit News, Seattle Times, ABC7, 6abc, The Hill, Newsweek, Courthouse News). NPR, CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times are cited when and only when the specific story accurately documents the underlying fact and cross-references elsewhere. A real link from a left-leaning outlet is always better than a fabricated link from a right-leaning one. We never fabricate URLs.
Name names
When a federal audit, a DOJ indictment, or a state legislative auditor names an official, a party, or a jurisdiction, we name them too — by office, by party affiliation at the time, and by city/county/state. The political geography of fraud is itself a fact.
Presumption of innocence
Defendants in pending criminal cases are presumed innocent until a verdict. We use language like 'alleged,' 'according to the indictment,' and 'the Committee found' for unresolved matters. We do not soften language for civil settlements that include no admission of wrongdoing, but we also do not assert guilt without a conviction.
Flag what we cannot verify
When a widely-reported detail cannot be traced to a primary source, we say so on the page — not in a footnote. Where a figure is an agency estimate rather than a closed total (e.g. SBA OIG's $200B PPP-fraud estimate), we note the estimator and any known methodological critique. We would rather publish a smaller, verified claim than a larger unverified one.
No fabrication. Ever.
Not a dollar amount, not a date, not a quote, not a person, not a URL. If a source would strengthen a claim but we cannot verify it, we leave it out. Our credibility is our entire product.
Corrections on the page
When we make a mistake, the correction is posted on the page where the error appeared, with a dated note explaining what was wrong and what was changed. We do not quietly edit and hope nobody notices. Corrections preserve our credibility; covering them up destroys it. Send corrections to corrections@civicintelligence.news — we respond to every substantive request, typically within 48 hours.
Opinion vs. news — clearly labeled
Sections such as Trump Derangement Syndrome, Drain the Swamp, Crime Problem, Alien Crime, and Darwin Awards contain opinion-inflected reporting. They are labeled as Editorial sections at the top of each landing page and within each story masthead. Breaking-news files (severe weather, the Iran war, the WHCD shooting, etc.) are produced as straight news reportage. The two are not mixed within a single page. Every claim — opinion or news — still traces to a primary source.
Editorial independence
No advertiser, donor, political party, campaign, PAC, or outside organization influences our editorial decisions. Civic Intelligence is independently and privately owned by Editor. We are not affiliated with, funded by, or directed by any political party, candidate, advocacy group, think tank, government entity, or media conglomerate. Any future change to our funding model that could materially affect this independence will be disclosed on the About page within 30 days.
Archive the archive
Primary sources we cite are submitted to archive.org's Wayback Machine. When an agency reorganizes a site and a URL rots, the snapshot remains. Every outbound link is expected to resolve forever; if one fails, we update the citation.
If you find a claim that isn’t supported by its citation, a link that returns 404, or a figure that disagrees with the underlying primary source, please tell us at Contact. Corrections are posted visibly, not quietly.