Original F-117A explanatory reporting guide. It does not rate any real person's statements. Primary-source websites listed below are research starting points; no fictional claim is presented as a finding.
A viral image can capture a politician's words accurately, crop them misleadingly or fabricate them entirely. The evidence trail must begin with the source rather than with the number of times a screenshot has been shared.
01 A source has a status, not just a link
Our source registry distinguishes an original post, a corroborated archive, a secondary quotation, a paraphrase and an unverified submission. Each record needs its retrieval date and an explanation of why it can support a particular claim. A link that stops working should not silently disappear from the record.
Images of social-media posts are useful leads, but should not automatically become verified quotes. The surrounding thread, edits, posting time and relevant links can change a statement's meaning.
02 Public distribution is not permission for every reuse
Whenever practical, link directly to an original post or use an authorized embed. Avoid treating a platform as an unlimited archive. Capture permissions, creator rights and applicable platform rules affect what may be stored and republished.
Manual intake is the initial model: an editor selects the post, records provenance, and attaches a review. Automated X monitoring and authentication are not implied by a static website preview.
03 What to preserve during intake
- Stable permalink and account identity verified separately.
- Exact wording with relevant conversational context and observation date.
- Verification level and access method for the source.
- A reasoned separation of factual subclaims from opinion.
- A record of replacements, removals and corrections.
04 Where the product goes next
Phase 05 will add editorial source intake, while Phase 06 provides complete claim reviews. Phase 01 delivers the reading and search surfaces now, without pretending to have a synchronized political feed.
Sources & Further Reading
These are attributable primary-reference destinations and related F-117A methodology pages. This field guide makes no fact-check determination about an individual.
Challenge the evidence, not the person.
The standard is reproducibility. Corrections and responses will be documented under the F-117A corrections policy.