Clarity requires
showing the work.
Direct Message News analyses politics through the Direct Message framework. The publication is responsible for every article it publishes.
We cover what political decisions actually do.
Our subject is politics: the votes, rulings, contracts, budgets, and rules that change ordinary life. Most of our reporting currently focuses on American cities, counties, and statehouses. The same standards apply wherever we report.
Bylines name who wrote the article.
Articles attributed to a named writer are written and published by that person. Any experience, expertise, or credential attributed to them is their own.
Direct Message News is our staff byline. It is used when the publication, rather than one named person, takes credit for an article.
We do not add separate editor credits to articles. The publication stands behind every article, whichever byline it carries.
The Direct Message is a visible reasoning process.
We start with the tension people feel, map the noise around a decision, including the incentives behind the words, and then state the clearest conclusion the evidence supports. It is not a claim of perfect objectivity. Readers should be able to see how we moved from the public argument to the conclusion, and what remains uncertain.
Claims should lead back to evidence.
Factual claims link to the source that supports them whenever a public source is available. We prefer primary documents: meeting minutes, votes, court filings, budgets, contracts, official records, research papers, and direct statements, followed by clearly attributed reporting.
A link is not proof by itself. Sources are assessed for relevance, proximity to the claim, publication date, and whether another independent source is required.
Tools support the work. Responsibility stays here.
Direct Message News may use tools, including AI tools, in research, writing, and production. The publication remains responsible for every article it publishes.
Tools must never be used to fabricate quotations, invent sources, or present generated material as first-hand reporting. We identify synthetic images, audio, or video when the use could change a reader’s understanding of what is real.
The record can be corrected.
When a material factual error is confirmed, we correct the article promptly and add a dated correction note when the change affects a reader’s understanding. Smaller spelling, grammar, formatting, and link repairs may be made without a note.
To request a correction, email corrections@dmnews.com with the article link, the passage in question, and the source that supports the correction.
Advertising does not purchase editorial conclusions.
DMNews is published by Brown Brothers Media. Advertising, sponsorship, and affiliate relationships are kept separate from editorial decisions. Paid material is labeled so readers can distinguish it from editorial coverage.
These standards sit within Brown Brothers Media’s editorial framework, which applies across its publications.