Editorial Method

What qualifies

A Coverage Case identifies a published formulation that materially conflicts with, exceeds, or changes the available record. A Coverage Case must contain all five of these elements:

1. Disputed coverage language that can be quoted precisely and linked to its source.
2. A record that materially contradicts or narrows that formulation.
3. An observable operation that can be described without guessing motive.
4. A corrected account that differs materially from the coverage.
5. Every important uncertainty, including scope, attribution, timing, and access limits.

A Frame Note examines supported emphasis, selection, juxtaposition, or narrative structure that changes what readers are likely to carry away. The reported facts may be accurate. A Frame Note identifies the published language and evidence for the framing observation without suggesting a false claim was corrected. It must distinguish our interpretation from what the outlet actually said.

Content type is separate from Evidence Status, which describes the strength and limits of the available evidence. A Frame Note is not a fallback for unavailable evidence or unsupported claims. If the basis cannot be verified or repaired, the same correction or withdrawal practice applies.

The archive was reviewed against the current Coverage Case and Frame Note standards on September 6, 2026.

A sharp opinion, partisan disagreement, or later change in the facts is not enough to establish the evidence for either type. The satire targets institutions, public claims, language, and incentives—not victims, minors, or private people.

Reading the Evidence Card

A Coverage Case shows Coverage said, Corrected account, Core discrepancy, Coverage operation, Still unresolved, and The record shows. A Frame Note shows Coverage emphasized, Context, Framing observation, Still unresolved, and Evidence, with Operation Family and Specific Operation as compact metadata below. Both include source links and Evidence Status. Frame Notes label their principal source Primary Evidence rather than Controlling Record; attributed claims and operational evidence retain their limits.

The Evidence Card and Receipts establish the factual basis. Edgar chooses his own argument, structure, and tone. His commentary may speculate about motives and incentives as opinion; it cannot invent events or present unsupported factual allegations as established. Review checks the factual claims without prescribing his argument or requiring him to retell the card.

Evidence Card glossary

Core Discrepancy

The material gap between what coverage says and what the available evidence supports.

Coverage Operation

The observable editorial move that creates that gap, or a supported emphasis in a Frame Note: for example, omitting a remedy or turning an allegation into a fact. It describes the wording, not an editor's motive.

Evidence Status

How firmly the evidence supports the account and what limits remain, such as an unverified allegation or an unavailable document. It is separate from the operation and content type.

Controlling Record

The authoritative primary source for the particular question: a court order for what the court decided, for example. Its authority extends only to the matters it determines.

Corrected Account

The account supported by the evidence after the discrepancy is addressed, keeping important qualifications and uncertainties. Frame Notes provide Context instead because they do not assert a factual correction.

Operation Family and Specific Operation

Each retained entry has one primary Operation Family for archive browsing and a Specific Operation inside its Evidence Card. The family groups related moves; the specific label names the move in that case, such as population-and-timeframe substitution or headline polarity. We choose the family from the card's main discrepancy or framing observation, even when several dimensions are involved.

• Scope: which people, places, categories, or exceptions the account covers.
• Status: whether something is proposed, alleged, conditional, pending, or completed.
• Attribution: who said, claimed, or confirmed something.
• Quantity: amounts, denominators, estimates, or numerical comparisons.
• Time: dates, duration, sequence, or applying evidence from one period to another.
• Causation: explanations of causes, effects, responsibility, or motive.
• Jurisdiction: which authority can decide or act, and where its power applies.
• Verification: what was checked or confirmed, and how.
• Framing: emphasis, selection, juxtaposition, or narrative structure as the main observation.

Which record controls

For each disputed point, we look for the authoritative primary record for that particular matter: for example, a court order for what a court ruled, a filed rule for its operative terms, or a published dataset for its measurements. No source controls a question outside its scope. Statements from parties prove what those parties said, not that their claims are true. Both types link their supporting coverage and records as Receipts.

Syndication

Copies of the same syndicated report count as one report, not independent corroboration. We identify the originating outlet, wire service, and byline when the available page makes them clear. A mirror may establish the text or timing of a report, but only when its provenance is visible.

Machine assistance

Machine systems help find candidate coverage, search and extract sources, organize research notes, compare texts, and draft Coverage Cases, Frame Notes, and related media copy. They can omit, distort, or invent information, so their output is never treated as evidence. Published factual claims must trace to sources that were actually opened. Edgar Mote is the fictional voice used for the resulting commentary.

Human verification

Before publication, a person working for SmartLogic Strategy LLC reviews the research and draft, checks material claims and quotations against the linked evidence, and checks that source limits and uncertainty survived the writing. That person can revise or reject the piece and makes the final decision to publish. Automated review and a machine saying “ready” are not human approval.

Inaccessible sources

We do not use an inaccessible page to support details we could not verify. A visible headline, snippet, or partial page supports only the text that was actually available and is described with that limit. If a decisive source cannot be read and no dependable copy or controlling record is available, the piece does not run.

Preserved uncertainty

Allegations remain allegations; proposals are not final actions; requests are not rulings; and estimates are not exact counts. Conflicting accounts stay unresolved unless evidence resolves them. We preserve material timing, scope, attribution, and procedural limits rather than forcing the record into a cleaner conclusion.

Corrections and withdrawals

Substantive changes are visible and dated. Depending on what changed, a Coverage Case or Frame Note receives a Correction, Clarification, Update, or Withdrawal notice, and the action is recorded on the Corrections page. We correct the record even when the correction does not change the piece’s larger point.

Ownership

Not Not the News is published by SmartLogic Strategy LLC. The company is accountable for editorial selection, verification, publication, and corrections. Edgar Mote is a fictional media personality, not a legal person or an independent newsroom.

Challenge our work

Readers and covered outlets can email [email protected]. Include the Coverage Case or Frame Note URL, the passage you challenge, and the strongest available record supporting the challenge. We review good-faith challenges against the same evidence standards and publish a visible action when a change is warranted.