What the score means
The overall score is a weighted average of six 0–10 assessments. It estimates the institutional and technical safeguards that reduce exposure to false or misleading claims. It does not certify that every item is accurate, nor does it measure political agreement.
Editorial review
Pre-publication human review, professional standards, and separation of reporting from commentary.
Corrections
Visibility, timeliness, permanence, and accessibility of corrections or revision histories.
Evidence & citations
Use of named sources, primary records, links, citations, and evidence readers can inspect.
Transparency
Clarity about ownership, funding, authorship, policies, methodology, and conflicts of interest.
Moderation / review
Processes that identify, contextualize, label, demote, remove, or correct misleading content.
Accuracy record
Historical performance, including major failures, repeated patterns, and responsiveness to error.
Important comparison rule
Publishers create most of their own material; social platforms distribute mostly user-generated material; Wikipedia reviews material collaboratively after publication; and Snopes evaluates selected claims. The common scale is useful only when those structural differences remain visible.
Formula
Overall = Σ(metric score × chosen weight) ÷ Σ(weights)
Recommended scoring process
- Review the source's published policies.
- Consult independent academic, legal, and media-accountability evidence.
- Record both strengths and limitations.
- Have at least two reviewers score independently.
- Publish the evidence and revision date for every change.