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Structured datasets may be compiled from multiple sources and can contain incomplete, outdated, duplicated, or subsequently corrected information.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.