Methodology
How The Civic Fox tracks sources, separates facts from interpretation, handles tips, and protects editorial independence.
The Civic Fox is built around a simple discipline: public understanding should begin with the trail. That means source material, public records, official documents, meeting materials, public notices, statutes, policies, and other verifiable civic sources whenever possible.
1. Source first
The Civic Fox prefers primary sources over secondhand claims. A news story, social media post, campaign statement, or public rumor may point toward an issue, but it does not replace the underlying document trail.
2. Public documents before commentary
The work is not to produce a reaction first and find sources later. The work is to locate the public material, read it carefully, and explain what it appears to say in ordinary language.
3. Fact, context, inference, unknown
Good civic interpretation separates different kinds of claims:
- Fact: what a source directly says or shows.
- Context: background needed to understand the source.
- Inference: a reasonable reading based on available material.
- Unknown: what cannot be confirmed from the available record.
4. How tips are treated
A tip is a lead, not a fact. The Civic Fox may use tips to look for public documents, agenda items, meeting records, policies, filings, notices, or other civic source material. Submitting a tip does not guarantee coverage, reply, confidentiality, or publication.
5. Corrections and updates
If a page is incomplete, outdated, or wrong, the correct move is to update it clearly. Corrections should be dated and visible when the change affects meaning. Small copy edits may be made without a formal correction note.
6. Sponsorship does not shape conclusions
Support may sustain the work, but it does not steer the work. Sponsors do not receive control over topics, timing, wording, conclusions, corrections, or source selection. Recognition is informational only.
7. What The Civic Fox does not do
- It does not provide legal advice.
- It does not endorse candidates or parties.
- It does not publish rumors as conclusions.
- It does not promise to cover every issue.
- It does not treat outrage as evidence.