The foreground
Each article starts with a controlling idea, a narrative spine and either a current peg or a stable primary text. The body carries the evidence and uncertainty that could materially change a reasonable reader's understanding. It does not carry every methodological qualification merely because one exists.
The evidence brief
Numbered notes identify sources, scope, counterevidence and unresolved disputes. Claims are marked as established within scope, mixed evidence, interpretation, open hypothesis or house judgment. Readers can open a note beside the prose or inspect the complete brief at the end.
Sources and freshness
Load-bearing claims should resolve to primary records, official data, original research or clearly identified authoritative reporting. Secondary summaries are used when the original record is unavailable or when the summary itself is the subject. Every issue brief declares whether it is current affairs or evergreen and records what new event, release or primary material would force another check.
Graphics
A visual must attract, prove or reveal. Generated illustration is labelled. A chart must state its denominator and source. An interaction is justified only when changing a state helps the reader see a real comparison, boundary or uncertainty. Unknown values are not plotted as measurements.
AI assistance
AI systems may help search, draft, edit, code, generate images and attack an argument. They are not treated as sources. Claims still require an inspectable record, and Ian Todd remains responsible for what is published.
Before release
The publication gate checks prose integrity, metadata, local assets, the public repository surface, external links, browser behaviour, responsive graphics and the production build. Passing software checks does not settle an editorial judgment; it prevents a known technical failure from becoming part of it.
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