Mastheads™
Studio
All ten editorial desks
Desk V of X

Fact Desk

The Fact Desk cuts or marks for review every specific claim that does not trace to the 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 hands it to the QA Desk, while the Art Desk works alongside it on articles with images turned on.

What it does

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

Supported writing passes unchanged. The desk cuts unsupported words without inventing replacements, leaving the rest of the article intact. 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, together with the research record, in which 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

The Fact Desk 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 also 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 that rests only on your website is marked unsupported unless an independent page confirms it.

What it guarantees

6 things it holds to, on every article 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.

  • Your headline, headings and standfirst stay unchanged.

    The desk works within paragraphs, so the headline, headings and standfirst stay as written.

  • 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.

  • Every finding stays visible.

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

One example

Say an article states that 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 then says only what the sources establish.

On your article

Every Fact Desk finding appears on the article's panel: each cut, unverified specific, sensitive claim and content-policy finding. 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.

What is the Mastheads Fact Desk?
The Mastheads Fact Desk is the first checking desk among the ten editorial desks, and it tests every specific claim in a finished draft against the research. Numbers, dates, names, quotations and factual statements must trace to a fetched page, or they are cut or marked for review. It checks every researched article Mastheads writes.
How does fact-checking work on a Mastheads article?
The Mastheads Fact Desk compares each paragraph of the draft with the research record, in which every fact names its speaker and page. Numbers, dates, names, quotations and factual statements must match what the research established. Supported writing passes unchanged.
Can AI fact-checking rewrite unsupported claims?
No. When the Mastheads Fact Desk finds an unsupported claim, it cuts the unsupported words and leaves the rest of the paragraph intact. The desk never adds or invents a replacement, so a changed paragraph can become shorter but never different.
How does Mastheads catch made-up facts in AI writing?
The Mastheads Fact Desk tests every specific claim in a finished draft against the research record. A number, date, name or quotation that does not trace to a fetched page is cut or marked for review, and the desk never invents a replacement.
How does Mastheads verify numbers and quotations?
The Mastheads Fact Desk compares each number and quotation with facts in the research record that have already been checked against their pages. Figures that could not be matched are brought to the desk's attention first.
How does Mastheads record source attribution and quote attribution?
The Mastheads research record names the speaker and page for each fact, and the Fact Desk checks the draft against that record. Every cut and unverified specific is then recorded on the article's panel.
Which Mastheads Fact Desk findings need a person to review?
In Mastheads, a claim that could harm a person or reader if wrong, or a paragraph outside the content policy, waits for review before automatic publication. The Fact Desk records every finding on the article's panel, and a person makes the final decision.
Does the Mastheads Fact Desk change my headline or headings?
No. The Mastheads Fact Desk works within paragraphs, so your headline, headings and standfirst stay unchanged. Every change it makes is a cut.
Can Mastheads check claims about my own company?
Yes, with one condition. The Mastheads Fact Desk checks a claim about your company like any other claim, and one based only on your website is marked unsupported unless an independent page confirms it.
Where can I see what the Mastheads Fact Desk changed?
Every Mastheads Fact Desk finding appears on the article's panel: each cut, unverified specific, sensitive claim and content-policy finding. A person makes the final decision.
What does the Mastheads Fact Desk do with an unsupported number?
When a Mastheads article says a new appliance uses 40 percent less energy and the research supports only the product, price and launch date, the Fact Desk removes the figure and the claim built on it. The supported sentence around it stays, and the cut is recorded.
What happens after the Mastheads Fact Desk checks an article?
After the Mastheads Fact Desk finishes, it hands the QA Desk the article with unsupported material removed and supported writing unchanged. The Art Desk works alongside it on articles with images turned on.
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