How We Report

TC Sentinel uses AI-assisted tools to help cover the Treasure Coast. Here's exactly how a story goes from source to your screen — and what safeguards protect accuracy at every step.

Step 1

Gather

We collect information from 100+ public sources: county meeting agendas, court records, sheriff reports, school board minutes, weather data, and government press releases.

Step 2

Verify

Every claim is cross-checked against our database of verified local facts. Unverifiable claims are flagged. Congressional votes are matched against official roll call records.

Step 3

Write

AI tools draft articles following strict rules: no invented quotes, no speculation, no naming individuals not in official records. Each section has its own reporting guidelines.

Step 4

Fact-Check

A second AI pass searches the web for corroboration. Claims that can't be verified are softened or removed. Plagiarism detection catches near-duplicate text.

Step 5

Review

Articles about police, crime, and government are held for human review before publication. A defamation guard automatically flags stories that associate named individuals with accusations.

Step 6

Publish

Only articles that pass all checks are published. Every article carries an AI disclosure notice and a 'Report an Error' link.

What We Do

  • ✓ Source every story from public records and official releases
  • ✓ Cross-check claims against verified facts database
  • ✓ Hold sensitive stories for human review before publishing
  • ✓ Publish corrections promptly when we get something wrong
  • ✓ Disclose AI assistance on every article
  • ✓ Attribute allegations to official sources ("prosecutors said")
  • ✓ Track confidence scores for every article

What We Don't Do

  • ✗ Invent or paraphrase quotes
  • ✗ Name individuals not identified in official records
  • ✗ Speculate about guilt, motive, or mental state
  • ✗ State allegations as established fact
  • ✗ Publish anonymous accusations or unverified rumors
  • ✗ Editorialize in news reporting
  • ✗ Credit or link to competing news outlets

Original Reporting

TC Sentinel produces original content that no other outlet publishes:

  • Meeting coverage — We transcribe government meetings from official YouTube channels and publish what happened before other outlets
  • Data journalism — Weekly analysis of property sales, restaurant inspections, water quality, court filings, and business registrations from public records
  • Agenda previews — We tell you what's on the agenda before the meeting happens
  • Public records requests — We file Florida Sunshine Law requests when our data shows something worth investigating

Confidence Scoring

Every article receives a confidence score from 0 to 1.0 based on source quality, fact verification, and corroboration. Articles below the section threshold are not published. Higher-risk sections require higher scores:

Government: 0.80
Police & Crime: 0.80
Education: 0.85
Weather: 0.75
National: 0.72
Sports: 0.60

Found an error?

We take accuracy seriously. If you spot a mistake, please let us know.

View Corrections & Report Errors

Questions about our process? Email news@tcsentinel.com