Every article published on this site carries a transparency badge showing our reading of its source lean, framing tone, and confidence level. This page explains how that reading is produced — and where its limits are.
Each finished article passes through an automated analysis pass that separates what the article cites from how the article is written, then combines those readings into a single editorial-transparency report attached to the published page.
Weighted average of the ideological lean of every source the article cites. Diverse sources average toward neutral; one-sided sourcing scores toward that side. This measures who the article listens to, not how it argues.
The article's own voice — scored independently. Loaded language, which voices are quoted first vs. last, what claims are asserted versus hedged, section ordering, and adjectives all count. An article can cite balanced sources but still frame them one way.
How reliable the reading is given the evidence. Thin articles, opinion-heavy content, or articles with unverifiable claims (fake experts, missing citations) receive lower confidence. Treat low-confidence scores as informational only.
The highlighted segment shows the score. Colors follow familiar convention — blue for left, orange for right, grey for neutral. Both source lean and framing use the same scale, side-by-side, so a reader can quickly see when the two disagree (for example, balanced sources framed with a slant).
The transparency report is one signal, not a verdict. It is here so you can read the article with more context, not less.