CONFIDENTIALITY & SOURCE PROTECTION
In the interest of capturing more comprehensive histories, we allow participants to set the terms of their involvement, whether they prefer to be on the record, on background, or off. Questionnaire respondents will never be identified without explicit authorization. Those who wish to make contact confidentially can reach us via Signal.
RIGHT OF REPLY
Subjects of our reporting are given an opportunity to respond to specific findings before publication.
EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
American Fieldnotes is independently operated and funded. No advocacy group, political cause, or commercial interest directs our research or shapes our conclusions.
VERIFICATION & DOCUMENTATION
Claims are corroborated against primary sources and, wherever possible, multiple independent records. We retain the documentation behind our reporting and fact-check extensively before publication.
public records
Much of our work draws on records that are rarely read or requested from public agencies or archivists. We work to keep requests targeted and specific, and we're grateful to the staff who fulfill them. We always value tips for future requests.
fair play
We like to think of ourselves as old-school in our approach to stories. We do our research, and approach interviews and fact-gathering with a commitment to nuance and historical rigor, not axes to grind.