How we verify
How Learning Fanatic sources, labels and corrects its stories, and what the evidence and confidence ratings mean.
How we report
Every story is prepared from named sources and lists those sources, with links, at the end. A person reviews each story before it goes live.
We aim to say what is confirmed, what is not, and what is still unknown, and to keep the three apart.
Evidence labels
Each news item carries a label that says how well its main claim is backed. The label sits beside the headline.
- Official
- From a primary source such as a regulator, court or company filing.
- Confirmed by 2+ outlets
- Reported independently by at least two credible outlets.
- Company-reported
- Figures or claims come from the company itself and are not independently checked.
- Preliminary research
- Early findings, such as a preprint, that have not been peer reviewed.
- Single source
- Reported by one outlet so far.
Stories labelled Company-reported, Preliminary research or Single source also show a short caution above the text.
Confidence ratings for deep dives
A deep dive ends with an evidence assessment, and carries one of three confidence ratings in its header.
- High confidence
- Several strong sources agree, and we found little that points the other way.
- Medium confidence
- The evidence points in one direction, but it is early, limited or comes from few sources.
- Low confidence
- The evidence is thin, conflicting or rests on a single source. Treat the conclusion as tentative.
Preprints and company claims
Research that has not been peer reviewed, such as a preprint, is labelled Preliminary research. Figures a company reports about itself are labelled Company-reported until someone independent has checked them.
Corrections
When we get something wrong we fix it. A story that was changed after publishing shows an Updated date, and a note at the bottom says what changed.
To report an error, email durugkar.sibling@gmail.com. Say which story and what is wrong, and link to a source if you can.