Editorial standards

The archive is the reporting method. Every material factual claim must trace to a locally preserved source, and every story must say what the reviewed record does not establish.

Source hierarchy

We prefer court orders, government records, regulatory filings, audited data, and first-party company disclosures. News reports and political statements can establish that something was reported or alleged; they do not automatically establish that the underlying allegation is true.

Evidence boundaries

Targets, announcements, allegations, and interim court observations remain labelled. We do not convert a proposed job number into delivered employment, an FIR into guilt, or a machine translation into a human-verified fact.

Translations

Non-English sources remain canonical in their original form. Machine translations are reading aids and carry a review label until checked by a human reader.

Corrections

Material corrections identify what changed, why it changed, when it changed, and which source controls the updated account. See the corrections policy or request a review.

Independence and conflicts

Sponsored or materially supported reporting must be disclosed on the article. Substantiate does not present advertisements, party material, or paid advocacy as independent reporting.