Editorial and AI policy

Verification before publication

• We publish automatically only when an event is confirmed by at least three independent outlets and our confidence score is 80% or higher.
• Everything else is reviewed before publication by the ECTV editorial desk: an AI editor that checks each article against its sources and our rules, working under the supervision of our human editor-in-chief.
• Stories where sources disagree on casualties, or that involve children or named victims, are decided by the human editor-in-chief.
• Claims that are reported but not confirmed are shown separately under “Not yet confirmed”.
• We do not use sanctioned state media as sources.

How we use AI

ECTV uses AI to help write articles from verified, multi-source reports. The AI is instructed to use only facts contained in those reports, to write in its own words, to attribute claims and to avoid speculation. Automated checks then compare every article with its sources: numbers must match the reporting, and wording must not copy any source. Articles that fail a check go to an editor. An AI editor then reviews each article against its sources and this policy before it is published; our human editor-in-chief sets its rules, reviews its decisions every day and corrects them where needed. Every editorial decision is logged. ECTV and its editor-in-chief are responsible for everything we publish, and each article carries a disclosure.

How we label facts

Each line under “What we know” shows how it is established, based only on the sources of that story:

• Verified: checked by an ECTV editor directly, for example with an official, from verified footage or from a checked reader report.
• Official: stated by an official body, such as police, a ministry, an emergency service, the armed forces, an operator or a court. The body is named.
• 2+ outlets: reported independently by two or more news organisations.
• 1 outlet: reported by one news organisation so far.
• Unconfirmed: claimed or reported, but not confirmed. These lines are listed separately.

A fact on which sources contradict each other is also marked Disputed. The label links to the source where possible. The labels are proposed by AI from the story's source list after publication and after every update; an editor's label always takes precedence. When in doubt, the lower label is used. An official statement is not proof that a claim is true; parties to a conflict are always attributed.

Source balance

Under every story we label each outlet as left-leaning, centre, right-leaning, official or OSINT, and show the balance of the outlets that reported it. See how we rate sources.

Briefs

When little is known yet, we publish a short “Brief” (from 150 words) instead of padding a thin story. It grows into a full article as more verified information comes in.

Locations of strikes

For strikes and attacks in Ukraine and Russia, our maps show only the town for the first six hours after the latest news, in line with Ukrainian martial-law rules that restrict real-time publication of exact impact sites. The exact place is shown afterwards.

Reader reports

Readers can send what they saw through our report form. Nothing is published before an editor has checked it against other sources. Published reports are marked “Reader report, verified by ECTV”, never carry the sender's name, and photos are stored without their hidden data (such as GPS position). We do not publish images of identifiable injured people or children, or anything that reveals military positions.

Translations

Selected stories are translated automatically by AI into Dutch, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Hungarian and Romanian (also for Moldova). The English article is the leading version; each translation links to it and is updated when the story changes.

Originality and credit

We write our own articles and link to the original reporting we relied on. We do not republish other publishers' text or photos. Images on ECTV are our own maps and graphics unless credited otherwise.

Sensitive content

We describe violence factually and without graphic detail. We do not name private individuals, victims or suspects unless authorities have done so publicly.

Updates and corrections

Stories are updated in place as events develop; the “Updates” box records what changed and when. Errors are corrected promptly and noted on the article. See corrections.

Independence

Advertisers, sponsors and members have no say over what we cover or how.