What Journalists Should Check Before Publishing
Check body text, headlines, materials, publication time, reader inference, and post-publication responses before publishing reporting.
The things journalists should check before publishing an article are not limited to the body text.
They need to check sources, materials, photos, recordings, publication time, contact paths, supplementary posts, and revision history.
Even if names are withheld in the article body, sources or people involved may be inferred from how detailed the quotes are, material metadata, photo backgrounds, and replies after publication.
A pre-publication check is not meant to weaken the article.
It is work that protects people while still delivering necessary facts.
What to check in the body text
In the body text, check information that could identify sources or people involved.
Look not only at names, but also departments, job titles, dates and times, places, speaking habits, and information known by only a limited number of people.
| Body text check item | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Proper nouns | Company names, school names, department names, region names |
| Timeline | Whether it connects to a source's actions or work records |
| Quotations | Whether a person can be identified from speech patterns or internal terms |
| Number of people | Whether candidates are narrowed to a small group |
| Background explanation | Whether the reporting path is revealed more than necessary |
Specificity is necessary in an article.
However, specificity can put a source at risk. Separate information readers need from information that only narrows the source.
Check headlines and summaries too
In a pre-publication check, review not only the body text but also headlines, leads, social media post text, notification text, and the descriptions that appear in search results.
Even if the body text is carefully generalized, a headline or summary that says too much can make sources or people involved identifiable.
| Item to check | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Headline | Whether it overexposes organization names, regions, or positions |
| Lead | Whether it contains information more specific than the body text |
| Social media post text | Whether it exposes source information to get attention |
| Search description | Whether information visible outside the page is too specific |
| Notification text | Whether identifying details appear in a short message |
The places readers see first are more likely to spread and be saved.
Treat headlines and announcement text as part of the same anonymity check as the article body.
What to check in materials
Materials retain information outside the body text.
PDFs, Office files, images, audio, video, and screenshots may contain authors, revision history, comments, filenames, GPS, capture date and time, and background sounds.
| Material | What to check |
|---|---|
| Author, annotations, embedded text, redaction | |
| Office | Revision history, comments, author, hidden sheets |
| Photos | EXIF, GPS, background, reflections, name tags |
| Audio | Background sounds, voices, recording date and time, filename |
| Screenshots | Notifications, account names, time, UI |
As a rule, do not publish originals as-is.
Create a publication copy and check both metadata and content. However, when evidentiary value matters, confirm with the newsroom or a specialist whether the material can be modified.
Check publication time
Publication time can also be a clue.
If an article is published right after a specific meeting, during work hours, immediately after an internal document was viewed, or right after travel from a scene, it may connect to the actions of a source or person involved.
| Publication time clue | Risk |
|---|---|
| Right after a meeting | Attendees or material viewers are suspected |
| During work hours | It connects to organizational logs |
| Right after a site visit | Reporting location or participants are inferred |
| Repeated late-night publication | The editorial setup or reporter's life rhythm becomes visible |
| Repeated on a specific weekday | The reporting and editing cycle becomes visible |
If there is no need to publish urgently, shifting the time may be an option.
However, balance this with news value and safety.
Anticipate reader inference
Before publication, imagine how readers may infer information.
The article will be read not only by readers acting in good faith, but also by people inside the organization, people involved, critical readers, and people trying to find the source. Each notices different information.
| Reader | Information they focus on |
|---|---|
| People inside the organization | Departments, material scope, meeting dates and times, wording |
| Local people | Places, facilities, schools, routine places |
| People involved | Speech habits, positions, information they know |
| Critical readers | Contradictions, timelines, supplementary posts |
| People looking for the source | Every clue that narrows the candidate pool |
An article is not necessarily read only by the readers you intended.
Before publication, check what different readers can see.
Plan for post-publication additions
A pre-publication check also considers what will be said after publication.
When you add context on social media, answer reader questions, respond to objections, or handle rebuttals after an article is published, information withheld from the body text may come out.
| What may happen after publication | What to decide in advance |
|---|---|
| Readers ask questions | The scope of answers and the person responsible |
| The subject of reporting pushes back | How detailed the additional explanation should be |
| A correction becomes necessary | How to present the difference and explanation |
| You contact the source | Path, time, and necessity |
| More materials are requested | The scope that can be published |
The more rushed the response after publication, the more unnecessary information tends to be added.
Decide the response policy before publication.
Finally, read from the source's position
Right before publication, reread the article from the source's position.
Consider: "Will this wording reveal me?" "If colleagues or supervisors read it, will they narrow the candidates?" "Does the material's origin become visible?" "Will someone be suspected after publication?"
| Question | What to look at |
|---|---|
| How many candidates remain? | Whether the source is narrowed to a small group |
| Can it be found outside the body text? | Look at photos, materials, timing, and social media additions |
| Does it draw in people involved? | Impact on family, colleagues, and people at the scene |
| Will someone be suspected after publication? | Whether it connects to organizational reactions or logs |
| Is consultation needed? | Legal, safety, or specialist review |
Source protection does not conflict with the reliability of an article.
It is the work of keeping necessary facts and removing unnecessary identifying information.
Options when the article is not ready to publish
The check may show that the article cannot be published as-is.
In that case, abandoning the article is not the only option. You can delay publication, change how materials are presented, make quotations less specific, turn details into a summary, avoid using images, add third-party review, or seek legal advice.
| Problem | Option |
|---|---|
| The source is narrowed down | Blur timing or job title/role, delay publication |
| Material metadata is uncertain | Recreate the publication copy |
| The image creates risk | Do not use the image, or replace it with a diagram |
| Legal judgment is needed | Consult the newsroom or a lawyer |
| Post-publication response is undecided | Decide the reply policy before publishing |
A pre-publication check is not only for stopping publication.
It is for finding ways to publish while lowering risk.
Summary
A journalist's pre-publication check covers body text, materials, images, audio, publication time, and post-publication response.
Even if names are withheld, sources and people involved may be inferred from departments, dates and times, quotations, material metadata, photo backgrounds, and post-publication additions.
Separate originals from publication copies, and check body text and materials together.
Finally, reread from the source's position and consider how far the candidate pool is narrowed.
A pre-publication check is not a process for weakening facts, but a process for protecting people while delivering necessary information.
Related tools
Google Lens
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
URL : https://lens.google/
ExifTool
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
URL : https://exiftool.org/
MAT2
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
SecureDrop
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
URL : https://securedrop.org/
GlobaLeaks
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
URL : https://globaleaks.org/