Editorial Policy
The standards that govern what The Public Interest publishes and how it corrects itself.
Accuracy and verification
Factual claims are checked against primary sources where they exist: legislation, budgets, audit reports, court judgments, official statistics, and published research. Figures are attributed to their source and dated. A claim that cannot be verified is removed, qualified, or presented plainly as the author's assessment. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their work and supply sources on request.
Editorial independence
The Public Interest is published by the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity. No funder, partner, government body, political organization, or commercial interest determines the publication's content. Editorial judgments are made by the editors. An editor with an interest in a submission takes no part in the decision on it. Where the Center holds an institutional position on a matter under discussion, that position is published as an editorial and identified as the Center's; it is not attributed to contributors.
Classification of content
Every piece is labeled so that readers can tell what they are reading. Opinion presents the argument of a named author and represents that author's views alone. Analysis examines evidence and competing arguments and may reach a conclusion, which is the author's. Research presents findings from a stated method. An editorial expresses a position of the publication or the Center and is identified as such. Curated material summarizes work published elsewhere, in our own words, with attribution and a link to the original. We do not publish opinion as news or analysis as fact.
Attribution and copyright
Ideas, data, and quotations are attributed to their sources. We do not republish third-party articles in whole or in substantial part, and we do not treat attribution as permission to reproduce copyrighted material. Articles by the Center's own writers that first appeared elsewhere are republished with the author's consent and with the original publisher and date stated. Quotations are brief, accurate, and marked. Images are used only where rights have been obtained, with credit given. Authors warrant that submitted work is their own and infringes no one's rights.
Conflicts of interest
Contributors disclose any financial, professional, political, or personal interest that a reasonable reader would consider relevant to the subject of their piece, including paid work for, membership of, or advisory roles with organizations discussed. Material disclosures are published with the piece.
Corrections and complaints
Errors are corrected promptly and openly. A corrected article carries a note stating what was changed and when; a significant correction is also noted at the top of the piece. A reader who believes we have published something inaccurate or unfair writes to the corrections address giving the title of the article, the passage concerned, and the basis for the complaint. We acknowledge receipt within five working days. An editor who took no part in the original decision examines the matter, consults the author, and checks the sources. Where an error is found, the article is corrected and a note added; where the complaint is not upheld, the complainant is told why. The outcome is sent in writing within twenty working days of acknowledgment, or an explanation of any delay. A record of corrections is kept by the editors.
Artificial intelligence
Contributors disclose any substantial use of artificial intelligence tools in preparing a submission, whether for drafting, summarizing sources, or generating data or images. Work produced wholly by such tools is not accepted. Authors remain responsible for every statement in their work however it was prepared. The publication does not present machine-generated text as the work of a named author.
Right of reply
A person or organization that is the subject of significant criticism is offered a reasonable opportunity to respond, before publication where practicable and after publication where not. Replies are published at the editors' discretion as to length and form and are held to the same standards of accuracy and civility as other material.
Editorial accountability
Responsibility for editorial content rests with the editors, under the Center as publisher. The names of the editors are published on the About page. This policy is reviewed each year and the date of its last revision is published here.