The desk’s rules, in plain language

Editorial Standards

Every story on Biaslist is filed, not shouted. This page is what the "Verified by" badge on a published post actually commits the desk to — who re-reads the piece, which sources count, and what we do when we cannot source a claim.

Section 01

What "Verified by" means

An editor on staff re-reads each article against its sources before it goes live. The verification sits next to the byline, alongside the date we read the primary source. Not every story carries the badge; if it does not, the desk has not signed off and the post is in a different status on the index.

Section 02

Who signs off

Three names, in this order, before a post publishes.

  • ▸Reporter drafts and files the story with at least two on-record primary sources attached as citations.
  • ▸Section editor reviews — checking the byline, the framing, and that each claim is linked to a primary source, not a repost.
  • ▸Standards lead re-reads the full piece against its citations and writes the verification note you see next to the badge on the published post.

Section 03

What counts as a primary source

The desk treats the following as primary sources. This list is described, not exhaustive — anything of equivalent provenance is acceptable to the standards lead on review.

What does not count: social-media reposts, fan-cam captions, anonymous aggregators, and screenshots of unverified posts forwarded through tip lines.

  • ▸artist or team public statements (posted or emailed to press)
  • ▸label or agency press releases and distribution notices
  • ▸venue or festival announcements on the operator’s own channels
  • ▸court or regulatory filings (PACER, official gazettes, KOMIS, etc.)
  • ▸on-the-record interviews conducted by Biaslist staff

Section 04

Official statements & label / agency links

Every published statement used in a story is linked inline and recorded in the citations section below the post, with the date the desk read it. If the source page is moved, deleted, or paywalled later, the citation row records the date of the read, not just the URL — the verification note above the badge carries the same date.

Section 05

Rumor & unattributed policy

If we cannot source it, we do not file it.

The desk uses "Reportedly" or "Unconfirmed" only when two or more independent on-record confirmations exist. Otherwise the story stays on the articles index in a status the badge does not appear on — readers can see the difference between a filed story and a draft from the index alone.

Section 06

Corrections & updates

Every published post has a "▷ Updated YYYY-MM-DD" line in the footer once an editor re-signs-off. The original text is not silently rewritten — corrections append, and the verification note above the badge is rewritten to point at the new read date.

Section 07

No AI-written reporting

Reporting copy is written and verified by humans. Automation assists only with transcription of recorded interviews, copy edits against Biaslist’s style sheet, and citation formatting. A story is never published, and never verified by the desk, solely on the output of a model.