LIVING DOCUMENT · V1.2 · LAST UPDATED MARCH 2026

The Discourse Charter

If we ask you to interrogate the media you consume, you should be able to interrogate us with the same rigor.

Supported
Caveats
Contested
Insufficient
Not supported

Not true or false. A spectrum — because knowledge is.

WHY THIS EXISTS

Every piece of media was created with context you don't have.

The podcast host read a study you haven't seen. The politician cited a number from a report you'll never open. The YouTube essayist synthesized twelve sources into one compelling narrative — and left out the parts that complicated it.

This isn't malice. It's the compression that all communication requires. Context exists to decompress it.

PODCASTPopular economics podcast
2h ago

"A recent Stanford study found remote workers are 23% less productive"

SEVEN PRINCIPLES

What we've committed to.

Each principle is built into the product. Click any feed example to see it in action.

01

Evidence over authority

We never say "experts agree" without naming which experts and showing what evidence they cite. We give you the map, not the verdict.

ARTICLEHealth policy analysis
2h ago

"Experts agree the new treatment is safe and effective"

02

Discourse is not correction

A correction says "you're wrong." Discourse says "here's more." The user takes the context and does what they will.

FRAMING AGENTSee reframed →
03

Institutional humility

Institutions have been wrong. When the Washington Post gets something wrong, we say so. Nothing builds trust faster.

TIMELINE AGENTSee evolution →
04

Opinion is sacred territory

"We should raise the minimum wage" is a position. "The minimum wage hasn't kept pace since 1968" is verifiable. We address the second. Silent on the first.

05

Dissent has epistemic value

The filter is evidence, not consensus. Continental drift was ridiculed. The moments when consensus is wrong are the moments that matter most.

CONTRARIAN AGENTSee opposing view →
06

The right to be wrong

Every output passes the screenshot test: could it unfairly damage someone's reputation? If yes, we reframe.

07

Proportional response

A debate claim gets full verification. A casual podcast mention gets light context. A comedian exaggerating gets nothing.

HOW WE TALK

Language matters.

Every word choice builds trust or destroys it. Click the tabs to see how Discourse transforms how we talk about truth.

BEFORE

"That claim is false."

HOW CONTEXT SAYS IT

"This claim is not supported by available evidence from three independent analyses."

"False" feels like a verdict. "Not supported by available evidence" feels like an invitation. Discourse is trying to create curiosity.

WHAT WE'RE STILL FIGURING OUT

Five open tensions.

Most companies hide their unresolved questions. We publish ours.

THE COMMITMENT

We apply this to ourselves.

Every claim on this website is subject to the same scrutiny we apply to the media we analyze. If we're wrong, we'll update — publicly, with a record of what changed.

This charter will evolve. That's not a weakness — it's the whole point.

CHANGELOG
  • v1.2Mar 28Rebranded to Discourse. Added interactive evidence panels.
  • v1.1Mar 15Added Marketplace tension. Expanded language table.
  • v1.0Mar 1Initial charter. Seven principles. Five tensions.

Truth isn't a destination. It's a practice.