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Methodology & Evidence Standard

Investigative journalism is only as strong as its weakest citation. This page explains how Watchdog Journal gathers, classifies, and publishes evidence — and what readers are entitled to expect from every investigation.

The evidence classification

Every material claim in a published investigation carries one of four classifications. The classification is assigned by the strength of the underlying record, not by how confident we feel.

DOCUMENTEDSupported by primary-source records: self-published pricing pages, corporate registry filings, marketplace listings, archived pages, court records, or on-the-record statements. These are the only claims we state as fact.
REVIEWEDAssessed by our reporters with the supporting evidence characterized in the text. Strong circumstantial patterns — shared infrastructure, identical templates, common registrants — are reported as patterns, never upgraded to fact.
SELF-REPORTEDClaimed by a subject about themselves and not independently verified. Always attributed, never adopted.
DISPUTEDContradicted by the documentary record, with both the claim and the contradicting evidence presented.

Sourcing rules

We privilege documents over interviews and archives over live pages. Where a claim depends on a web page that could change, we preserve an archived copy before publication. Anonymous sourcing is used only when a source faces genuine risk, and anonymous claims are never the sole basis for a material allegation.

Fair representation

Where a person or organization's own explanation, denial, or public statement is part of the documentary record, it is represented alongside our findings, not omitted. We do not publish a claim we know to be false, and we distinguish clearly between a documented fact and a subject's own account of events.

Corrections

Errors are corrected promptly and visibly. Material corrections are noted at the top of the affected investigation with the date and nature of the change. We do not silently edit published work.

Independence

Watchdog Journal accepts no payment for coverage, no payment for removal of coverage, and no advertising from the industries we investigate. That is the entire policy, and it has no exceptions.

We do not remove or alter published reporting under threat — legal, financial, or personal. Corrections are made on the strength of evidence, through the process above, and on no other basis. Our full position is stated on our about page.

Contact

To submit documents, request a correction, or share information relevant to our reporting, use our tips channel or the contact details on our about page.