Sourcing and verification
Our analysis is built on information that is on the public record, and we show where it comes from.
- We cite the sources our articles rely on and link to them when they are available online.
- We prefer primary material: official documents and statements, legislation, court records, sanctions designations, company filings and data published by the institutions concerned.
- We attribute claims to the people and organisations that make them. Statements by governments, armed forces, companies and officials are reported as their claims, not as established fact.
- When we rely on reporting by other media, we name the outlet.
- Some claims cannot be independently verified, such as battlefield reports, casualty figures and testimony from prisoners of war or other people in captivity. When we use them, we say that they are unverified and present them as claims.
- Where credible sources disagree, we say so rather than silently choosing one of them.
Analysis and reporting
Most of what we publish is analysis: it interprets events and evidence rather than simply reporting them.
- We separate what is documented from our assessment of what it means, and our wording shows which is which.
- We indicate how confident a judgement is and describe what remains unknown.
- We do not present speculation, rumour or a single unverified source as fact.
- When a piece argues for a position, it is written as argument, with its reasoning and sources shown.
Corrections
To report a mistake, use the contact form and choose “Correction request”. Tell us which article and passage you mean, what you believe is wrong and, if you can, a source that shows it.
- We review every correction request.
- When an error of fact is confirmed, we correct the article. If the correction changes a fact, a figure or a conclusion, we add a note to the article saying what was changed, and the article's updated date shows when.
- Fixes that do not change the meaning, such as typing errors, broken links or formatting, are made without a note.
Updates
The situations we write about keep developing. When new information materially changes what an article says, we update it and its updated date changes. When we revise an assessment, we say so rather than rewriting it silently.
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Reader comments
Readers can comment on articles, and every reader comment is reviewed before it is published. Comments close 10 days after an article is published.
- Your name and your comment are published with the article. Your email address is never published.
- We do not publish comments that are abusive, threatening or discriminatory, that reveal personal information about other people, that are spam or advertising, or that are unrelated to the article.
- We may remove a published comment that breaks these rules, and we may block an email address that is used for abuse.
- Publishing a comment does not mean that we agree with it.
What we store when you comment is explained in our privacy policy.
Images
The image at the top of an article is illustrative. It is not presented as evidence and should not be read as a record of the specific events, people, places or equipment the article describes.
More about Ruspiracy
- About Ruspiracy: what we cover and how our analysis is written
- Contact: questions, correction requests and privacy requests
- Privacy policy: what personal data we process and the rights you have