Editorial Standards

Accuracy

Every claim is sourced to a public record. We link to primary sources wherever possible and archive source pages via the Wayback Machine for permanence. When a finding depends on data matching or analysis, we describe the methodology used.

Fairness

We present financial relationships as documented in public records. We do not speculate about motives or intentions. All individuals and entities referenced are presumed to be engaged in lawful activity unless otherwise established by a court of law.

When our analysis identifies a pattern involving a named individual or organization, we seek comment before publication where the finding could be perceived as negative.

Independence

The Public Ledgers is editorially independent. No funder, sponsor, advertiser, or political entity has influence over what we publish or how we present it.

Conflict of interest disclosure: The editor and founder, Zach Beaudoin, is a candidate for Erie County Legislature, District 11. This candidacy is disclosed on the About page and in any article where Erie County governance is a subject. The research and data analysis that form the basis of this project predate the campaign.

Byline disclosure

When the author has a direct political stake in the subject of an investigation — including candidacy for office in a jurisdiction covered — a disclosure must appear prominently at the top of the piece, before the body text begins. A footer disclosure alone is insufficient.

Format: Disclosure: [Name] is a candidate for [Office]. This investigation is based solely on public records; all methodology is documented at /methodology/.

Corrections policy

We correct errors promptly and transparently. Corrections are noted at the top of the affected article with:

• The date of the correction
• What was incorrect
• What the correct information is

Requests for corrections should be sent to editor@thepublicledgers.org with supporting documentation.

Data standards

• We report conservative figures by default (exact matches only, excluding ambiguous cases)
• When estimates or ranges are used, they are labeled as such
• Per-household and per-pupil calculations use the most recent Census data available and are documented in the methodology
• Downloadable source data is provided where possible so readers can verify our analysis

Language standards

The phrase “pay-to-play” may not be used as an authorial characterization. It may be quoted when a named source used it, with full attribution (name, date, context).

Use instead: “documented correlation between donations and approvals,” “donor-beneficiary overlap,” or “financial relationships between subsidy recipients and political donors.”

The phrase “expose” may not be used to describe investigative findings. Use “document,” “identify,” or “cross-reference.”

Right of reply

When our analysis identifies a pattern involving a named individual or organization that could be perceived as negative, we seek comment before publication.

Procedure:

1. Contact is made by email to the subject’s publicly listed press or contact address, or by certified mail where no email is available.
2. The specific claims are stated clearly, with reference to the underlying public records.
3. Subjects are given a minimum of 72 hours to respond. Longer windows are granted upon reasonable request.
4. Responses are incorporated into the published report. If no response is received, this is noted ("[Subject] did not respond to a request for comment").

To submit a response or request additional time, contact editor@thepublicledgers.org.

Pre-publication checklist

Before publishing any finding that names a specific individual or organization:

• Is every claim sourced to a primary public record (not a secondary summary)?
• Has the subject been contacted and given a reasonable window to respond?
• Does the framing imply wrongdoing beyond what the evidence establishes?
• Are all statistical claims labeled with their methodology (e.g., BH-corrected, upper bound)?
• Is the confidence level of any data match disclosed?
• Do all rates and percentages include a baseline comparison (e.g., general business donor rate from Census CBP)?
• If donor-beneficiary data is presented, does the piece include the standard correlation/causation disclaimer?

Correction request process

To request a correction:

1. Email editor@thepublicledgers.org with the subject line “Correction request: [page title]”
2. Identify the specific claim you believe is incorrect
3. Provide supporting documentation (primary source preferred)

We aim to respond within 72 hours. Verified corrections are published on the affected page and logged on the Corrections page.