How I work.

1. Follow every claim to where it started

A podcast, a book, or a forum post is a lead, not a fact. Before I repeat a claim, I try to find the first person who made it, and when.

2. Some sources count for more

• Documents: police and fire logs, park records, permits, newspapers, official correspondence
• Firsthand witnesses: people who saw or did something themselves
• Secondhand accounts: people repeating what someone told them
• Rumor: stories with no traceable source

Records made at the time outweigh memories recalled decades later. That's not a judgment of anyone's honesty; memory simply changes over time.

3. Two independent sources

I don't state something as true unless two sources that didn't get it from each other agree.

4. Every claim gets a label

In my case files and on screen, claims carry one of these labels so you always know how solid the ground is.

Primary record in hand

I have the original document or recording.

Reported, not verified

Someone has said it publicly; I haven't confirmed it.

Single source

Only one person or document supports it so far.

Contradicted by record

A document or stronger source says otherwise.

Physically implausible

It conflicts with well-established physics, geography or timing as described.

5. The ordinary explanation, laid out in full

For every case I look for the strongest everyday explanation (aircraft, controlled burns, hunting season, misremembered dates, hoaxes) and present it as carefully as anything stranger. If the ordinary explanation fits, I'll say so.

6. People are treated with dignity

Witnesses, believers and skeptics all get the same respect. I'm precise about what people have actually said and done, and I don't put words in anyone's mouth.

7. Protecting sources

Anyone can talk to me anonymously. I don't publish a name, or details that could identify someone, without their permission.

8. Corrections

If I get something wrong, I'll correct it publicly and say what changed. Send corrections to tips@materialwitnessproject.com.