CivilNet’s Data Verification Guidelines

As a news organization that serves the public, CivilNet places responsibility for ensuring accuracy on its staff, regardless of the circumstances. To maintain the highest level of credibility, CivilNet journalists continuously strive to strengthen their fact-checking and verification skills, a core principle of the organization’s mission.

This effort should be supported by presenting data in its original form whenever possible, in order to minimize personal bias and superficial assumptions that may distort the original purpose or meaning.

When eyewitness testimony is presented, it is important first to consider who the individual is, what they could realistically have seen or heard, and why they were present at the scene. The location from which the quote was obtained should be clearly stated. If information has been translated, this must be done faithfully, with due regard for the original language. Information taken from other sources must be properly and fully attributed when we are unable to develop the story independently using our own reporting and data.

The need to verify accuracy continues after publication. CivilNet journalists are required to make corrections promptly and consistently, with the knowledge of editors.

Every effort should be made to publish corrections within the same news cycle, clearly highlighting that a correction has been made. If this is not possible within the same news cycle, organizations that rely on CivilNet as a news source are also encouraged to correct the information.

Ensuring the accuracy of a corrected report will usually require reviewing the original sources, and the updated information should be published with a clear indication that it has been corrected.

Transparency is essential both in gathering information and in presenting it. In most cases, CivilNet journalists clearly identify themselves as journalists and state that the information is being sought for reporting purposes. We do not pay for interviews.

If information is provided off the record, it cannot be published in a report. If information comes from an anonymous source, CivilNet will provide as much relevant context as possible about the person or organization in order to minimize potential bias.

If a source does not want their name disclosed, we must verify the information as thoroughly as possible through alternative sources. In cases involving anonymous sources, CivilNet journalists must determine how the source substantiates the credibility of the information and ensure that the source can be contacted again for additional comments or clarification if needed.

Information should not be published until it has been confirmed by at least one additional source, except in cases where the information is exceptionally detailed or comes from a single source whose credibility leaves no reasonable doubt.

Journalists should not only note that a source requested anonymity, but also explain why anonymity was necessary. CivilNet bears full responsibility for publishing information from anonymous or undisclosed sources, including any consequences if that information proves inaccurate. News obtained from such sources must be significant and genuinely worthy of publication.

To avoid political conflicts of interest, CivilNet does not in any way encourage the political activity of its journalists. If a journalist nevertheless intends to participate in a political campaign, demonstration, or run for office, any resulting potential conflicts must be disclosed.

Although a journalist may hold explicit or implicit political views or affiliations, it is important that any potential imbalances in news coverage be identified as clearly as possible, even when it is difficult to separate personal views from factual reporting.

As an organization that advocates for and practices the methods of civic journalism, CivilNet must remain accountable to the public.

Our journalists must strive to be honest and trustworthy with our audience and maintain a clear distinction between news and opinion. They may not make claims or portray situations in ways that are misleading or based more on broad assumptions than on factual evidence.

Journalists may not claim to be in a location where they are not. They must exercise particular responsibility when identifying individuals and use caution when referencing people’s social media accounts or platforms.

Information must not be published without verification. Even information that raises minor doubts should be examined carefully. Information derived from studies funded by special-interest groups, political think tanks, or pharmaceutical companies requires especially close scrutiny.

We must not exploit the names of people who have unwillingly come under public attention. Any attention given to such individuals must serve a genuine public-interest purpose and never be an end in itself.

Stories involving children require particular care, whether or not children appear directly in the report. CivilNet also expects its journalists to avoid stereotypical portrayals of any person or group under all circumstances.

The rights of everyone involved in the news-gathering process must be respected at every level. CivilNet journalists should respect one another, as well as journalists from other media organizations. We do not openly disparage other media outlets, regardless of their reliability or ownership.

In an era marked by the unprecedented spread of digital technologies and the massive flow of data that accompanies it, the nature of news and journalism is constantly evolving. News now reaches us instantly from countless sources, including eyewitnesses, blogs, and other digital platforms, and can be filtered through vast networks of social connections.

At the same time, ordinary individuals now have greatly increased capacity to alter audio and visual material in convincing ways. The potential for manipulated media to spread is virtually limitless, and even the most vigilant journalists may sometimes be persuaded of its authenticity. While it is impossible to list every method for avoiding errors arising from new technologies, certain practices can be especially useful when working with specific types of media.

Editing anything beyond pauses and false starts may compromise the context or intended meaning of a recording. Even unusually long pauses should be edited only with an editor’s approval.

Apart from these limited edits, audio recordings should not be altered. Changes may be made only for purely technical reasons, including smoothing volume fluctuations, reducing background noise, and similar adjustments.

Individual excerpts from a recording should not be published if they are removed from the speaker’s true context.

Reverse image search allows a journalist to upload an image directly to a search engine, such as Google, to determine where else it has appeared online. These tools can also identify visually similar images, which is a useful way to assess whether a photo has been altered.

Another reliable method is to verify the weather conditions on the day the photograph was taken and compare them with the conditions visible in the image. For this purpose, Wolfram Alpha’s weather search is recommended.

Examining the metadata embedded in an image may also provide additional information about its origin.

The original upload date of a video should be verified before using it as the basis for news reporting. Journalists should also look for multiple uploads of the same video in order to determine whether there are inconsistencies in keywords, location, or other relevant details.

Amnesty International’s Citizen Evidence Lab guide, which is used to document and verify human rights violations, may also serve as a valuable resource for journalists in verifying content.

Taking all of the above into account, CivilNet has established the following rules for data verification:

Journalists themselves can often become the first obstacle on the path to accurate reporting. At times, they may shape facts to fit their ideas rather than allowing facts to lead their conclusions. A CivilNet journalist must always investigate deeply and present the facts as they are, without distortion. No fact should be omitted simply because it does not align with the journalist’s views.

Journalists often want to be the first to report information and break a story. For CivilNet, however, accurate reporting is more important than fast reporting. Information must be confirmed through at least two sources.

CivilNet uses anonymous sources only when the information is of particular importance and no public source is available. CivilNet assumes full responsibility for publishing such material.

Data obtained from public sources often do not match information from other sources. CivilNet consistently compares data from one source with all other available sources. How that information is ultimately used remains a matter of sound judgment on the part of the journalist and editor.

A CivilNet journalist must approach every piece of information and every dataset with critical scrutiny.