How FACTUM handles events
FACTUM is an independent Russian-language news publication. We cover events in Russia and matters connected to it. What sets us apart is the monitoring of independent newsrooms: we track which outlets report an event, show that in the feed, and develop the event into an article once three outlets from our list have reported it.
What the squares show
Every event in the Russian-language feed carries a scale of three squares. It shows how many outlets from our list have reported the event: none, one, two, three or more. Outlets belonging to one publishing group count as one.
This is coverage, not a count of independent confirmations. The squares tell you how widely an event is being reported. They say nothing about whether any of those outlets verified it themselves.
Next to the scale is a source counter. It includes every source in which we found a report of the event, including those that are not on our list of outlets.
We rely on the publications of independent Russian-language newsrooms, selected for their reputation and quality. The list is not closed and is revised as the media landscape evolves.
The rule of three
The algorithm writes a full article — with a timeline, the sources' positions, and links to the originals — once three outlets from the list have reported the event. This is a condition for writing the article, not proof of the fact.
Three filled squares do not always mean an article: the algorithm needs three outlets whose full texts it is able to retrieve, and it usually leaves events not related to Russia as cards.
Until there are three, the event remains a light card in the feed, with the counter and a link to the outlet's publication.
What the system cannot do yet
The system does not yet automatically tell a newsroom's own reporting from a retelling of someone else's. A publication that relays another outlet's report is counted the same way as independent work.
Several publications may therefore trace back to a single primary source: three filled squares do not mean that three newsrooms established the event independently of one another.
How coverage affects the feed
Events in the feed are ranked not only by freshness but also by how their coverage grows: an event that more and more outlets report moves up. The number of publications shows how widely an event is covered, not how accurate it is.
When sources disagree
When newsrooms report different facts about one event, we don't pick the “correct” version. We show the discrepancy, noting who reported what. The decision stays with the reader.
The editorial team is responsible for what we publish
Every FACTUM article links to the publications that covered the event. If you find an error, click “Report an error” on the article page. Errors are corrected; substantive corrections are not concealed.
What we don't do
We don't relay official statements as facts. We don't publish original articles on single-source events, however loud the headline. We don't run advertising. We don't editorialize — words like “outrageous” and “at last” are left to the reader; our work is the facts, their sources, and how widely they are reported.