Five checks to run before you trust a news story
A short routine that takes about two minutes and catches most weak reporting.
Understand the news, not just the headlines.
Plain Ledger publishes plain-language guides on how news is made, how to check it, and how to read the numbers behind it. We do not report breaking news or publish rumours.
Latest articles
How a news story gets from an event to your screen
A look at reporters, editors, sources and corrections, and why early reports change.
Reading numbers in the news without getting misled
Percentages, averages and small samples: four ideas that make statistics easier to read.
News, analysis and opinion: how to tell them apart
Three kinds of writing often share one website. Here is how to recognise each.