How Baseline works
Draft for review. Edit to match your final editorial process before launch.
What Baseline is for
Most news coverage mixes what happened with how a writer feels about it. Baseline separates the two. For each of the day's top stories, it shows the facts that outlets across the political spectrum agree on, flags where their reports differ, and, for subscribers, shows how each side framed the story.
How stories are chosen
Each morning Baseline picks the top three national, global and local stories from the previous 24 to 48 hours, ranked by how widely they're covered across outlets. We don't pick stories based on which side they favor.
Which outlets we check
Every story is checked against four or more outlets. Where available, that includes wire services (AP, Reuters, AFP), outlets generally rated left-leaning, center and right-leaning, and, for global stories, international and regional outlets, including outlets from the countries involved. Local stories draw on local TV, newspapers, public radio and statehouse reporters.
What counts as a fact
- A fact is listed only when the cited sources report it, and each fact links to every outlet that confirms it.
- We prefer facts confirmed by two or more independent outlets.
- Claims reported by only one outlet, numbers that conflict, and unverified claims by a party to the story go under “Where reports differ,” with who reported them.
- Opinion, loaded language and speculation are removed. Summaries are written in our own words, with only brief quotes.
How lean labels are assigned
Each outlet carries an approximate label (left, center, right, or international/regional) based on widely used media-bias ratings. Labels describe an outlet's overall coverage, not any single article. They're there to show balance at a glance, not to judge an outlet's accuracy.
Developing stories
Stories whose key facts are still changing, such as rising counts, uncalled results or unreleased names, are marked “Developing.” Details may change after publication as new figures and information are reported.
Use of AI
Baseline uses AI (Anthropic's Claude) to search the web, read coverage, and draft the summaries and fact lists. AI can make mistakes. Every fact links to its sources so you can check it, and readers can report errors on any story.
Baseline It
When you submit an article link, Baseline reads it, finds the same story at other outlets, and lists which of the article's claims others confirm and which they don't. If a site blocks automated access, Baseline never works around it; it builds the baseline from other outlets' coverage and says so.
Corrections
Use “Report an error” on any story. An editor reviews every report, and corrections are listed publicly on the Corrections page.