Editorial Methodology and Source Policy

Purpose

The project organizes public records so readers can find the source material, understand what an agency said, and see which questions remain unresolved. The archive is designed to improve access and context, not to substitute a summary for the underlying record.

Evidence labels used throughout the archive

Publication labels

Public record

An agency-produced or agency-released record published in its original or clearly identified converted format.

Official statement

A statement attributed to an agency, official, meeting record, response letter, policy, contract, or other identified source. The label does not independently prove the statement is accurate.

Verified fact

A factual statement directly supported by a cited record and checked against the source before publication.

Analysis

Interpretation, comparison, calculation, or context created by the archive. Analysis is separated from agency statements and source records.

Open question

A point the available records do not resolve, including missing records, conflicting statements, incomplete productions, or requests still awaiting a response.

Requests and agency responses

Request pages identify the question asked, the agency’s response, the production result, and the released files connected to that item. The archive uses exact language or a close paraphrase that preserves the agency’s meaning. It does not convert an agency statement into a verified fact unless released records independently support it.

Redactions and withheld records

Every known redaction or withholding should identify the affected request, record, response date, location, withholding type, and exact authority cited by the agency. The legal reason is labeled Agency-cited justification. A citation is not presented as a ruling that the agency’s interpretation is correct.

When an agency cites several statutes in one paragraph without identifying which one applies to each field or record, the archive records that limitation rather than assigning a more specific justification. Independent legal or policy discussion is labeled Analysis.

View the current Redactions and Withholdings log →

Personal information and raw correspondence

Raw email chains are not the default public presentation. The archive may retain original correspondence in its working files for provenance while publishing a structured HTML summary and appropriate official attachments. Personal signatures, phone numbers, unrelated contact details, identification documents, medical information, and other unnecessary sensitive material should not be published merely because they were included in a submission.

AI-assisted work

Automated tools may assist with organization, transcription, comparison, drafting, or data analysis. AI-generated text is not published as an authority. Material intended for publication should be checked against the original record, and uncertainty should remain visible rather than being filled with a guess.

Corrections and updates

Corrections are made when a cited source, later production, or reliable submission shows that a page is inaccurate or incomplete. Significant changes should be recorded in the project changelog or update page. Superseded material may remain available when useful for version history, but it should be identified as superseded.

Derived data

Tables, counts, and CSV summaries calculated from released records are labeled as analysis. The method, input file, and limitations should be stated, and the source file should remain available whenever publication is appropriate.