How we verify
FACT is built on a single rule: every story has to check out against an authoritative source before it goes anywhere.
Facts published from May 2026 onward list their primary source on the fact’s own page. Older facts cite their source on request — email hello@thefact5.com.
The verification pipeline
Each candidate fact runs through a multi-step check before it lands on the page:
- Source identification. Every claim must trace to a primary source — peer-reviewed research, official records, established reporting from a named outlet, or a credible institutional publication.
- Independent corroboration. Where possible, a second independent source confirms the claim. Single-source stories are flagged.
- Confidence scoring. Each fact gets a verification confidence rating. Anything that scores low gets cut, no matter how good the hook is.
- Editorial review. Even verified facts get a pass for clarity, framing, and tone before they’re published.
What we cut
- Anything that can’t be traced to a primary source
- Debunked myths, even ones that’re still circulating
- Stories that sound true but are misattributed quotes or composite legends
- Clickbait framings that overstate a real underlying fact
- Anything mocking individuals, identities, religions, or groups
When we’re wrong
We correct visibly. If a fact you read here turns out to be wrong, email hello@thefact5.com with a source. Corrections get an update note on the fact page and a mention in the next newsletter.
Images
Images are sourced from Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, or generated as illustrations. Photographer credit is preserved where the source supplies one. AI-illustrated images are labeled.
Why this matters
“Did you know” content is dominated by recycled false claims. We started FACT to do the opposite — verified, sourced, and a little weirder than fiction usually gets.