Editorial Policy & Disclosures
Contents
1. Purpose
This policy governs every entry published to the Force Disclosure Research Team archive. It defines how information is sourced, how it is labeled, how it is reviewed before publication, and how it is corrected after. The archive’s credibility rests on the reader always knowing what kind of information they are reading. This document is that guarantee in writing.
2. Sourcing Designations
Every entry in the archive classifies its information under one or more of three designations:
Documented Record
Government files, court records, FOIA releases , authenticated footage, official statements, and on-record reporting by identified outlets. This material is cited to its origin and, where possible, linked to the primary source.
Attributed Testimony
A named individual made the claim. The entry identifies who made it, where, and when, and presents the claim as testimony rather than established fact. Testimony is not endorsement; publication means the statement was made, not that it is true.
Unverified Account
Information in circulation whose origin cannot be established. It is filed, labeled as such, and never presented with the weight of the other two designations.
Where an entry contains all three, the text distinguishes them. An entry that cannot support any designation does not publish.
3. Verification and Review
Entries are prepared by research staff and cleared by review staff against this policy before publication. Review confirms that every claim carries its designation, every source citation resolves, and no material presents testimony or unverified accounts as documented record.
Firsthand accounts submitted to FDRT that clear verification protocols carry the designation “Reviewed and vetted – FDRT staff,” meaning the account was checked against the existing record, corroborating material, and known program details to the extent verification is possible.
4. Living Persons and Corrections
Entries concerning living individuals present the public record and attributed testimony concerning them, distinguish disputed claims from established facts, and avoid characterization beyond what the cited record supports.
Any individual or organization featured in the archive may submit corrections, clarifications, or additional documentation at any time through our contact page.
Substantiated corrections are made promptly, and material corrections are noted on the affected entry.
FDRT considers a correction request from a featured party a contribution to the record, and treats it accordingly.
5. Source Protection
FDRT protects the identity of confidential sources in everything it publishes.
Identifying information is separated from subject matter, stored minimally, and never published, referenced, or implied in any entry.
These practices are absolute within FDRT’s operations. In candor: no private organization can promise immunity from legal process, and prospective sources should weigh that reality before disclosure.
Our protocols are built so that what we hold is as little as the work allows.
FDRT receives accounts; it does not solicit classified material.
Individuals are solely responsible for ensuring that anything they share does not violate law, contract, or a duty of confidentiality they carry.
6. Independence and Funding
FDRT is an independent research body.
It is not a government agency and is not affiliated with any government, agency, or research organization.
It accepts no funding from any agency or interest that would constrain what it publishes.
It does not sell memberships, certifications, or investigative credentials.
7. Affiliate Disclosure
Some entries, primarily within the Books section, contain affiliate links.
As an Amazon Associate, FDRT earns from qualifying purchases.
Affiliate status has no bearing on whether a work is included in the archive or how it is described.
8. Media, Images, and Quotation
Images published in the archive are licensed, in the public domain, used under embed permissions of the hosting platform, or used consistent with fair use, with attribution where required.
Quotations from testimony, hearings, interviews, and published works are kept brief, reproduced verbatim, and attributed to speaker, venue, and date.
Transcript material from broadcast media is used as source material for original writing and citation, never republished.
9. Research Methods
FDRT staff use analytical tools, including software-assisted transcription and cross-reference analysis, in the research process.
No entry publishes without human review against this policy.
Tools assist the work; staff are accountable for it.
10. Contact
Corrections, documentation, and disclosure inquiries: Contact FDRT
Policy effective 01/01/2026. Material changes to this policy are noted here with the date of revision.