How We Report
TC Sentinel is published anonymously by design, with AI-assisted reporting tools under human editorial review. Here's exactly how a story goes from source to your screen — and what safeguards protect accuracy at every step.
Anonymous by Design
Why we don't publish reporter names.
TC Sentinel is published by a small editorial team that uses AI-assisted reporting tools under human review. We chose anonymity for two reasons: to keep the focus on the reporting rather than the reporters, and to keep this newsroom independent of the personalities and politics that often shape local coverage.
In place of personality, we anchor accountability in our standards, our sources, and our corrections record — published openly on this page and at /corrections. Every story is editor-reviewed before publication. Sensitive stories about police, courts, and government are held for human review and matched against official records before they go live.
We borrow this model from The Economist, which has published unsigned reporting since 1843. The institution is the byline.
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 shows its sources and a 'Report an error' link. Corrections are logged publicly.
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-assisted reporting and link to this page from 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
Questions about our process? Email news@tcsentinel.com
