Methodology

An event is eligible only if it represents a measurable stress on a democratic institution, right, or constitutional norm and can be independently verified. Rumour, unverifiable social-media claims, opinion presented as fact, and anything resting on a single anonymous source are excluded.

Every published record aims to carry at least two independent sources, prioritising primary documents, established news organisations with a corrections process, and named research bodies such as V-Dem, Freedom House, CPJ, and ADR. Each record links out so you can read the underlying reporting yourself.

Nothing publishes itself. Candidate events are ingested from public news feeds and drafted into a neutral summary. A human reviewer then checks sourcing, sets severity, and either approves, returns the item for more evidence, or rejects it. Only approved records reach the public timeline.

The archive records events; it does not editorialise them. Summaries are written to be defensible to a reader who disagrees with our concern. The selection reflects a stated focus on democratic pressure; each record stands on its sources.

Records are living. If a source is wrong, a fact changes, or a court reverses a finding, the record is updated and the change noted. If you believe a record is inaccurate or missing context, submit evidence through the Submit page.