Products of the ePluribus Media collaborations appear on the ePluribus Media Journal and Timelines.
The original stories, articles, interviews and reviews that appear on the Journal start as either a submission to the ePluribus Media editors or as investigative tip.
ePluribus Media researchers, using publicly available information, and often working with a writer, pull together a story. Once a draft is ready, an editor is assigned who works with the main writer/or researcher to help shape the story and more importantly, determine if the story has merit.
The completed draft is sent to the fact checking team, who challenge assertions, doublecheck facts cited and links, working from publicly available information or, in cases of interviewed sources, the reporters' notes. After the fact-checking is completed, the writer/editor resolves the fact-checking questions and the piece is sent to a copy-editor who edits the article in accordance to The Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook and Libel Manual guidelines.
The searchable timelines that are displayed on the ePluribus Timelines databases are built on the basis of requests received from contributors, researchers, and dedicated members of the ePluribus Media community. Currently there are five timelines in the databases, with three (Katrina, Rita and incidents of PTSD related violence) displayed publically.
Once the Timelines team is committed to building a specific timeline, volunteers collect information (either by researching several sources or by following leads such as those sent to the Timelines email address) on the individual "incidents" that make up a timeline.
Once the information for an incident is collated, including links for the source, it is entered by volunteers into the database, but not displayed. When the data entry is completed, the fact checkers are alerted that there are entries to be vetted. The fact checkers verify the data. If it meets journalistic standards, the fact checkers approve the incident and it is added to the displayed version of the timeline.
Contributors to the Journal and Timelines
Although volunteers, the writers, editors, fact checkers and production crew have professional experience (academic and for profit): jurying scientific journals; authoring books, articles, and news reporting; researching as journalism students, librarians, scientists, and citizens; and editing for magazines, journals, corporate communication materials, books, and newspapers.
(scoop.epluribusmedia.org) is scoop-powered site providing open forums for community discussion about propaganda, citizen journalism, ethics in journalism and other topics of concern. What you post on the ePluribus Media Community is considered your own personal work, not ePluribus Media's. However, as a community, we strive to further responsible research, writing, and journalism standards and encourage all posters to adhere to these tenets. See the Toolbox and the Citizen Journalism sections for examples and more information.
(www.epluribusinvestigates.org) is a drupal-powered site, limited to vetted volunteer researchers, who do the investigative work that is the backbone of ePluribus Media reporting. If you would like to become part of the investigative community, email us at membership@epluribusmedia.org.