Standards
Every policy that governs how this publication reports, sources, discloses, and corrects — collected in one place.
4 min read · Updated August 2026
Second City Standard is built on a simple premise: readers should be able to check the work. That means showing the evidence, naming the method, disclosing the tools, and correcting the record when we are wrong.
Our commitments
Evidence before opinion. Understanding before reaction. Science before assumption. Curiosity without bias. Where certainty is not available, we say so rather than manufacture it.
If a policy on this page is unclear, incomplete, or appears to be contradicted by something we published, tell us at standards@2ndcitystandard.com.
How the work is made
The rules that govern what gets published, who reviews it, and what happens when we get something wrong.
Editorial Standards
The Editorial Test, writer and editor responsibilities, and the final gate before publication.
How We Create
The end-to-end process from original question to published investigation.
The Standard Review
Structured public review of claims, reporting, and evidence quality.
Set the Standard
The benchmark we hold ourselves and the work to.
Corrections Policy
How errors are reported, labelled, and fixed on the record — corrections, clarifications, updates and retractions.
Sources, claims and confidence
Every conclusion is traceable. These pages explain how evidence is graded, cited, and scored.
Clarity Index
How each investigation is scored for evidence, sourcing, and transparency.
Evidence Library
The underlying documents, datasets, and records behind our reporting.
Claims
Individual claims, their status, and the evidence supporting or contradicting them.
Reputation & Track Record
Predictions, outcomes, and how our past calls actually performed.
AI assistance and disclosure
AI is one tool inside a human-led process. We say where it is used and where it is never used.
Readers, data and access
Plain-language terms covering your data, your rights, and how to reach us.
Privacy Policy
What we collect, why, and the controls you have.
Terms of Use
The agreement covering use of the site and its content.
Cookie Policy
Which cookies we set and how to change them.
Affiliate Disclosure
When outbound links earn a commission, how they are labelled, and why revenue never decides a recommendation.
Accessibility
Our accessibility commitments and known gaps.
Contact
Corrections, questions, tips, and press requests.