standards
The rules every plainwire episode and article follows. If you see one broken, say so through the contact section.
sources and their tags
In an article, each sourced claim links to its source, and the link carries a small tag for the kind of document it is:
- S1 · the recordRegulators, central banks, governments and courts; companies' annual reports and official filings; specialist data providers and peer-reviewed research.
- S2 · reporting and analysisEstablished news outlets and analysts describing or interpreting the record.
- S3 · interested or secondaryPress releases, trade groups and campaigners on any side, labeled with who funds them, and explainers and summaries used for background.
The tag tells you what kind of document is behind a link before you click. It isn't a verdict on whether the source is right. Every article ends with its full list of sources, grouped by tag.
facts, estimates and guesses
Articles keep established facts, allegations, contested estimates and speculation apart. When credible sources disagree about a number, the article shows the disagreement and the reason for it, which is usually a difference in method or in who paid for the work.
interested parties
A company's press release is advocacy, and so is material from a trade group or campaign that opposes it. Both get used, both are labeled with who funds them, and neither is taken at face value.
the other side
Every episode makes the strongest case against its own conclusion, in full and inside the episode, before it reaches that conclusion.
corrections
If something in an episode or article is wrong, send it through the contact section. When a correction is needed, the article is fixed and a dated note at its end says what changed. Corrections to a video are listed in its article.
money
plainwire doesn't give financial or investment advice. Nothing on this site or in an episode is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold anything.