Accountability Profiles: Inclusion Criteria and Editorial Standards
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Accountability Profiles: Inclusion Criteria and Editorial Standards

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Accountability Profiles: Inclusion Criteria and Editorial Standards

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What is an accountability profile?

An accountability profile is a documented record of a public figure’s or individual’s conduct related to democratic governance, elections, and constitutional order in the United States. Each profile focuses on documented actions — not opinions, political positions, or protected speech.

These profiles exist to serve as a factual record for civic education, independent journalism, legal research, and future truth-and-reconciliation processes. They are part of a public knowledge graph — cross-referenced and evidence-tiered — so independent journalists can draw on it in their reporting and so any future accountability process has a pre-assembled factual foundation. They are not punitive; they are documentary.

Accountability for promoting autocracy and authoritarianism must be grounded in what officials and public figures did — through their documented actions, not their protected speech. That distinction is not a concession; it is the standard that makes these profiles credible.

## Who qualifies for an accountability profile?

We apply different standards depending on the individual’s public role:

### Public Officials (elected or Senate-confirmed)

Sitting and former elected officials — members of Congress, governors, state legislators — and Senate-confirmed appointees (cabinet secretaries, federal judges, agency heads) have a baseline rationale for inclusion. Their official conduct is a matter of public record and legitimate public concern.

What qualifies them: Their role itself. Public officials are accountable to the public for their official actions.

### Former Public Officials (non-elected)

Individuals who held appointed government roles (White House staff, agency deputies, military command positions) qualify for profiles documenting their conduct during their official service. The profile must establish the connection between the role and the documented conduct.

### Private Citizens

Private citizens receive the highest level of protection in our system. A private citizen may only receive a profile if they satisfy at least one of five documented “Non-Speech Anchors”:

| Anchor | What Qualifies |

|——–|—————|

| Criminal conviction or charge | The person was convicted of or formally charged with a crime related to the profile’s subject matter. Court record required. |

| Organizational leadership | The person held a documented leadership, command, or coordination role in an organization with documented harmful conduct. Mere membership does not qualify. |

| Significant financial enablement | The person provided documented, significant, targeted financial support that materially enabled specific harmful conduct. FEC or court record required. |

| Voluntary public figure status | The person voluntarily and publicly thrust themselves into the controversy at a level that makes their conduct a matter of legitimate public concern (press conferences, media interviews asserting a role, filed public documents). |

| Official non-elected capacity | The person used a documented official capacity (election official, law enforcement, government contractor) to advance harmful conduct. |

### What does NOT qualify someone for a profile

The following are never sufficient for inclusion on their own:

– Political opinions or positions, no matter how extreme

– Political party affiliation or membership

– Social media posts expressing political views

– Attending a rally, protest, or political event

– Membership in a legal organization (even a controversial one) without a documented leadership role

– Being listed in any external database or taxonomy

– Expressing support for a candidate, party, or movement

– Holding or expressing views that others find offensive

What is the “Speech Taint Strip Test”?

For every profile — especially those involving private citizens — we apply a rigorous internal test: if you remove all speech-based evidence from the profile, does the remaining documented conduct independently justify inclusion?

If the answer is no — if the profile only exists because of what someone said, wrote, or believed — the profile does not meet our standards and is either revised or removed.

What information goes INTO a profile?

We document:

  • Official actions: Votes, executive orders, appointments, policy decisions
  • Court records: Convictions, indictments, civil judgments, court filings
  • Financial records: FEC filings, disclosed conflicts of interest, documented self-dealing
  • Congressional findings: Select committee reports, hearing testimony, official referrals
  • Organizational roles: Documented leadership positions in relevant organizations
  • Timeline of conduct: What the person did, with dates and sources

We do NOT include:

  • Private information: No home addresses, personal phone numbers, family members’ details, or non-public financial information
  • Unsourced claims: Every factual claim must trace to a court record, official document, or multi-outlet credible journalism
  • AI-generated inferences: We do not speculate about motives, future conduct, or undocumented connections
  • Single-source claims presented as fact: Claims from a single anonymous source are labeled “alleged” and clearly attributed
  • Think-tank taxonomies or opposition research treated as primary evidence

How do we handle speech in profiles?

Speech documented in a profile is always identified as protected speech unless a court has made a specific legal finding (fraud, perjury, defamation judgment, etc.).

When speech appears in a profile, it serves one of these purposes:

  1. Factual context — documenting what the person publicly said as part of the chronological record
  2. Contrast evidence — where private communications (discovered through lawsuits or congressional investigations) contradict public statements, establishing a documented private/public divergence
  3. Self-incriminating statements — where the person’s own words, in official proceedings, establish conduct (e.g., testimony under oath)

We never profile someone solely because their speech is politically objectionable. The First Amendment protects the expression of unpopular views, and our platform upholds that protection regardless of political direction.

What are the evidence tiers?

Every claim in a profile must meet one of these standards:

Tier Standard Example
Documented Primary sources: court records, official filings, signed orders, congressional records A sentencing transcript, an FEC filing, a signed executive order
Credibly Reported Multi-outlet journalism from recognized news organizations with named sources A story reported by AP, NYT, and WaPo with named sources corroborating
Alleged Single-source or anonymous sourcing — must be clearly labeled “According to [source], allegedly…”
Excluded Unsourced assertions, AI inference, opposition-research databases, anonymous blogs These may NOT appear in profiles

What is the “Basis for Inclusion” block?

Every profile contains a transparent disclosure block — placed prominently near the top — that states:

  1. How the subject is classified (public official, voluntary public figure, or private citizen)
  2. What specific criterion justifies their inclusion (the anchor met, with citations)
  3. What is explicitly NOT the basis for inclusion (protected speech, political positions)
  4. How speech in the profile is characterized (protected context vs. legally actionable)

This block exists so that readers can immediately evaluate our reasoning and hold us accountable for our own editorial decisions.

What sources are excluded?

We never cite the following as evidence for any claim:

  • One6Project — an external taxonomy that included individuals based on criteria we cannot independently verify
  • Unverifiable databases — any database that does not disclose its methodology or sources
  • Anonymous opposition research — partisan research products without documented primary sourcing
  • AI-generated content presented as factual claims
  • Social media posts by anonymous accounts making claims about individuals

If any of these were historically the sole basis for a profile, that profile has been removed or substantiated with independent primary sources.

How can I request a correction?

If you believe information in any profile is incorrect, contact factcheck@patriot.university with:

  • The specific claim you believe is inaccurate
  • Any supporting documentation
  • Your name (optional — we accept anonymous submissions)

We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly. Corrections are noted in the profile with the date of correction.

What legal standards guide this work?

Our inclusion and editorial standards are grounded in established First Amendment case law:

  • Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) — Political advocacy, even for radical positions, is protected unless it constitutes incitement to imminent lawless action
  • NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware (1982) — Individuals may not be held liable for others’ unlawful conduct based on shared association or advocacy
  • Snyder v. Phelps (2011) — Speech on matters of public concern is protected even when deeply offensive
  • Gertz v. Robert Welch (1974) — Private citizens are entitled to heightened protection from reputational harm

These cases establish that our platform must document conduct, not punish viewpoints.

How often are profiles reviewed?

Profiles are subject to periodic review for:

  • Factual accuracy — Have claims been contradicted by subsequent court rulings or retractions?
  • Proportionality — Does the severity assessment remain appropriate given new information?
  • Source currency — Are citations still valid and accessible?
  • Inclusion criteria — Does the profile still meet current editorial standards?

Profiles that no longer meet our standards are revised or removed. We removed approximately 143 profiles in May 2026 after adopting strengthened inclusion criteria that better protect private citizens’ First Amendment rights.

Why does this matter?

Democratic accountability requires a factual record. But that record must itself be accountable — to constitutional principles, to evidentiary standards, and to the people it documents. Our editorial standards exist to ensure that this platform serves truth and justice, not political vengeance.

We believe that documenting what people in power did — accurately, fairly, with full source transparency — is both a civic obligation and a constitutional right. We also believe that what people think and say is protected, and that no documentation platform should blur that line.

Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.

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