Editorial Standards

Our Mission

TrulyNews is operated by Civic Health Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to strengthen local journalism by combining citizen reporting with rigorous AI-assisted verification. Every piece of content published on TrulyNews undergoes a transparent, documented verification process. We show our work — claim by claim, source by source — so readers can assess accuracy for themselves.

Verification Methodology

All submitted articles pass through a nine-stage AI verification pipeline before publication:

1. Safety Pre-Screen — Screens for prompt injection, policy violations, and content safety issues.
2. Claim Extraction — Identifies check-worthy factual claims using the ClaimBuster methodology.
3. Evidence Retrieval — Searches for corroborating and contradicting evidence for high-priority claims.
4. Source Credibility — Evaluates the credibility of sources cited in evidence using MBFC ratings.
5. Media Verification — Analyzes uploaded images and video for authenticity and EXIF metadata.
6. Prior Reporting Cross-Reference — Compares claims against our archive of published articles using semantic search.
7. Bias Detection — Identifies political framing, loaded language, and stance indicators.
8. Context Analysis — Flags missing context, one-sided framing, and unsupported claims.
9. Consensus Scoring — Produces a weighted confidence score (0–100) aggregating all prior stages.

Articles scoring above 80% are automatically published. Articles scoring 50–80% are routed to human editor review. Articles below 50% are suspended pending further review.

Source Requirements

• All factual claims must be supported by at least one verifiable source.
• Anonymous sources may be used only when the reporter can verify the source's identity to TrulyNews editors and the information cannot be obtained any other way.
• AI-generated articles from public records use the Anthropic Citations API to link every factual claim to its source document.
• Source credibility is rated using the Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) database. Source ratings are displayed with every citation.
• Social media content may be cited only when directly relevant and when authenticity can be verified.

Accuracy Standards

TrulyNews tracks accuracy rates for all contributors. Reporters with accuracy rates below 70% receive additional editor review on all submissions. Reporters with rates above 85% and a high bridging score may qualify for Level 4 contributor status.

Every published article displays its confidence score and a complete audit trail accessible to any reader. This transparency is not optional — it is a core feature of the platform.

Correction Policy

TrulyNews corrects errors promptly and transparently. When a significant factual error is identified:

1. A correction notice is appended to the article with the date and nature of the correction.
2. The article is re-verified through the pipeline. The confidence score is updated and the audit trail reflects the re-verification.
3. Readers who bookmarked the article are notified of the correction.
4. The original version remains accessible in the audit trail for archival transparency.

To report an error, flag the article using the “Report” button on any article page.

AI Usage Policy

TrulyNews uses AI in three distinct ways, each clearly disclosed:

• Verification: All articles are verified by AI agents. This is not optional. The verification results are always shown to readers.
• AI-Assisted Writing:Reporters may use the Journalism Coach and AI draft generator. Articles with AI assistance are labeled “Human + AI” and comply with CA SB 942, TX TRAIGA, and the CO AI Act disclosure requirements.
• Fully AI-Generated Content:Articles generated from public records are labeled “AI-Generated from Public Records”. All factual claims link to their source documents via the Anthropic Citations API.

AI is never used to fabricate quotes, invent sources, or generate content without a documented evidentiary basis. All AI model usage is logged in the article's C2PA credential manifest.

Editorial Independence

TrulyNews editorial decisions are made independently of Civic Health Coalition donors and sponsors. Advertising and sponsorship content is clearly labeled and editorially separate from news content. Advertisers have no influence over editorial decisions, story selection, or verification outcomes. The platform's financial sustainability depends on reader support, not advertiser approval.