Verification Policy
How Niles Connect approaches accuracy and verification.
Niles Connect contains information from different sources.
Verification means evaluating the support for a factual claim,
not simply approving content for publication.
Purpose
Verification depends on what kind of information you are viewing.
Niles Connect brings together original editorial content,
community submissions, civic-source information, public records,
investigations, and specialized datasets. Those materials should
not all be interpreted in the same way.
Identify the source
Understanding where information came from is the first step
in evaluating what it establishes.
Separate fact from assertion
A statement appearing in a document, submission, complaint,
report, or other source does not automatically establish
that the statement is true.
Preserve context
Dates, document type, authorship, surrounding records,
later developments, and other context can materially affect
how information should be understood.
Information types
Different content requires different treatment.
Niles Connect editorial content
Articles and reporting published directly by Niles Connect
may involve source review, records research, attribution,
comparison of available evidence, and additional reporting.
Community submissions
Community posts are information provided by participating users.
Publication does not mean every factual statement in a submission
has been independently verified by Niles Connect.
Civic-source information
Information collected from a public or civic source should
retain source attribution where available. Its presence on
Niles Connect does not transform it into original reporting.
Public records
Public records are source material. A record establishes
what the record contains, but statements within that record
may still require context or corroboration.
Investigations
Investigative research may connect multiple records, timelines,
FOIA material, people, organizations, questions, and claims
to evaluate what the available evidence supports.
Datasets
Structured datasets may be compiled from multiple sources
and can contain incomplete, outdated, duplicated,
or subsequently corrected information.
Verification process
How a factual claim may be evaluated
The amount of verification appropriate for a claim depends
on its significance, available evidence, source quality,
and the context in which the claim will be presented.
1. Identify the claim
Determine exactly what factual statement is being made
rather than evaluating a vague impression or assumption.
2. Locate the source
Identify the document, dataset, statement, photograph,
public source, or other material supporting the claim.
3. Prefer primary material
When reasonably available, original records and firsthand
source material are generally preferable to summaries
or secondhand descriptions.
4. Check context
Review relevant dates, surrounding material, document purpose,
later records, and other information needed to understand
what the source actually shows.
5. Seek corroboration
Significant factual claims may require additional independent
sources or records before they can reasonably be presented
as established.
6. State uncertainty
When available evidence does not support a firm conclusion,
the uncertainty should remain visible rather than being
converted into certainty.
Sources & records
A source can be authentic without every statement in it being true.
This distinction is particularly important when working with
public records, complaints, correspondence, investigative files,
meeting material, and other documentary evidence.
Authenticity
Verification may establish that a document came from a particular
source or appears in an official records collection.
Contents
Authenticity establishes where a document came from.
It does not automatically establish the truth of every statement
written inside that document.
Interpretation
The significance of a document may depend on surrounding records,
applicable dates, later developments, and the purpose for which
the document was created.
Language matters
Claims should reflect the strength of the evidence.
Niles Connect should avoid presenting a stronger conclusion
than the available evidence reasonably supports.
Documented
A relevant record or other source material directly supports
the statement being made.
Reported or alleged
A source states that something occurred, but the underlying
assertion has not necessarily been independently established.
Unconfirmed
Available information is insufficient to reasonably establish
the claim at the time of publication.
Disputed
Relevant sources or involved parties materially disagree
about the underlying facts or interpretation.
Incomplete
Available records do not provide enough information
to determine the full circumstances.
Corrected or updated
Later information materially changes or clarifies
an earlier statement or understanding.
Verification vs. moderation
Publication approval does not equal factual verification.
Moderation determines whether community content is appropriate
for a feature. Verification evaluates whether factual claims
are sufficiently supported.
Moderation
May consider relevance, spam, privacy, safety,
conduct, duplication, and appropriate use of the site.
Verification
Examines evidence, sources, records, corroboration,
context, and the support for factual assertions.
Editorial review
Niles Connect editorial content may involve both verification
and editorial judgment before or after publication.
Developing information
Some facts change as more information becomes available.
Early reports, public records, datasets, and developing events
may be incomplete. Niles Connect may update material when
additional reliable information becomes available.
Early information can change
Initial reports may later be clarified, corrected,
expanded, or contradicted by additional information.
Records can be incomplete
A records response may not contain every relevant document,
and the absence of a document does not necessarily establish
that an event did or did not occur.
Research can remain open
An investigation may identify unanswered questions rather
than reach a final conclusion.
Corrections
Verification continues after publication.
If credible information shows that published material
is materially inaccurate or requires clarification,
Niles Connect may correct or update it.
New evidence
Additional records or reliable information may change
what is known about an issue.
Errors
Material factual errors should be corrected when identified
and sufficiently supported.
Context
A technically accurate statement may still require clarification
when important context materially changes how it should
reasonably be understood.
Found a problem?
Send the information for review.
If you believe a factual statement published by Niles Connect
is inaccurate, identify the specific page or material,
explain the concern, and provide supporting sources or records
when available.
Verification does not mean certainty.
Evidence can be incomplete, sources can conflict, records can contain
errors, and additional information can emerge later. When a conclusion
cannot reasonably be established, Niles Connect should identify the
uncertainty rather than present speculation as fact.
Related policies
Learn more about how information is handled.
Transparency explains the site’s broader approach to sources,
while Corrections addresses material that needs to be changed
or clarified after publication.