Methodology
Evidence framework
Every case here is anchored to a matter of public record. Nothing rests on a hunch, an anonymous tip, or a single news story. This page sets out the standard so you can check the work yourself.
What counts as a source
Each case is built from at least one of these, in this order of weight.
Court filings and dockets
Tier 01Complaints, rulings, unsealed exhibits, settlement papers. The primary record, and the heaviest.
Regulator reports, orders, and sworn testimony
Tier 02Findings and orders from regulators, and sworn congressional testimony given under oath.
Major investigative journalism
Tier 03Used to corroborate and add context, never as the sole basis for a claim.
How the standard holds
Allegations, not findings
Most cases here are live. Where a matter is in litigation, the claims described are allegations, not proven facts, until a court resolves them. The book says so on the page, and so does every case file. When a case settles or a court rules, the entry is updated.
Confidence is flagged
Where the evidence is partial, it is flagged as partial. Where confidence is lower than the surrounding prose might suggest, the qualification is stated. The aim is for you to know exactly how sure you should be about each claim.
Every company gets a steelman
Each company named is given its strongest defence, presented fairly, before that defence is tested. Where a company has stated a position publicly, it is included. Where a company wants to respond, it can, through the right of reply.
Corrections
If anything here is wrong, it gets fixed. Substantive corrections are logged on the right of reply page and carried into future editions of the book. Write to hello@griftinc.com.
This database is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Quote it, build on it, correct it, with attribution.