All ten editorial desks
Desk V of X

Fact Desk

It cuts or marks specific claims that do not trace to research.

  • Every researched article
  • One desk, one job
  • Live
Where it sits
  1. IEditorial Director
  2. IISource Desk
  3. IIIPlanning Desk
  4. IVWriters Desk
  5. VFact Desk
  6. VIQA Desk
  7. VIIEditor-in-Chief
  8. VIIIStandards Desk
  9. IXArt Desk
  10. XProduction Desk

The Fact Desk is the first checking desk. It receives the article from the Writers Desk and sends it to the QA Desk while the Art Desk works alongside it.

What it does

The Fact Desk tests every specific claim in the finished draft against the research. Numbers, dates, names, quotations and factual statements must trace to a fetched page.

Supported writing passes unchanged. Unsupported words are cut while the rest of the article stays standing, and the desk never invents a replacement. Without this check, unsupported specifics or harmful claims could reach publication. Those that need judgement are marked for a person to review.

One desk, one job. Nothing inside it is split into roles.

What it takes in

The Fact Desk receives the article paragraph by paragraph and the research record, where each fact names its speaker and page. Figures that could not be matched are brought to its attention first. It checks every number, date, name, quotation and factual statement against exactly what the record established.

What it hands on

It hands the QA Desk the article with unsupported material removed and supported writing unchanged. Every change is a cut, so a changed paragraph can become shorter but never different. The headline, headings and standfirst stay unchanged. The desk records every cut, every unverified specific, every claim that could harm a person or reader if wrong, and whether each paragraph meets the content policy. A potentially harmful claim or a paragraph outside the policy waits for review before automatic publication. A claim about your company based only on your website is marked unsupported unless an independent page confirms it.

What it guarantees

6 things it holds to, on every piece it touches.

  • Specifics trace to the research.

    Numbers, dates, names and quotations match facts already checked against their pages.

  • Every change is a cut.

    A changed paragraph can become shorter, never different. The desk adds nothing.

  • Page furniture stays unchanged.

    Your headline, headings and standfirst stay as written while the desk works within paragraphs.

  • Sensitive claims receive human attention.

    A potentially harmful claim or a paragraph outside the content policy waits for review before automatic publication.

  • Company claims need independent support.

    A claim based only on your website is marked unsupported unless an independent page confirms it.

  • The work remains visible.

    Every finding appears on the article's panel, and a person makes the final decision.

One example

An article says a new appliance uses 40 percent less energy. The research supports the product, price and launch date, but not that figure. The Fact Desk removes the figure and the claim built on it, keeps the supported sentence around it and records the cut. The article now says only what the sources establish.

On your article

Every Fact Desk finding appears on the article's panel. You can see each cut, unverified specific, sensitive claim and content-policy finding, and a person makes the final decision.

Live. It works on every researched article, which is the default.

Questions

What people ask about the Fact Desk.

How does fact-checking work on a researched article?
The Fact Desk compares each paragraph with a record in which every fact names its speaker and page. Numbers, dates, names, quotations and factual statements must match what the research established.
Can AI fact-checking rewrite unsupported claims?
No. Unsupported words are cut, and the rest of the paragraph stays standing. The desk never adds or invents a replacement.
How does source verification handle numbers and quotations?
Numbers and quotations must match facts already checked against their pages. Figures that could not be matched are brought to the desk's attention first.
How are source attribution and quote attribution recorded?
The research record names the speaker and page for each fact. The Fact Desk checks the draft against that record.
Which Fact Desk findings need a person to review?
A claim that could harm a person or reader if wrong, or a paragraph outside the content policy, waits for review. Every finding appears on the article's panel.
Related
ready?

Ten editorial desks,
on your next article.

7 days, 10 articles, no card. Every article shows its work.