OpenSomething is a public, open-source intelligence platform created to support independent media, researchers and members of the public seeking reliable information about matters of public interest.
The platform is run and maintained by the OpenSomething Foundation, a private association established for the betterment of independent media, public-interest research and personal research. The Foundation develops free-to-use news reports, research resources and open-source intelligence tools intended to make important information easier to find, examine, verify and understand.
What We Do
OpenSomething publishes original reports, investigations, research summaries and public-interest intelligence. Wherever reasonably possible, our work is supported by accessible sources, transparent reasoning and evidence that readers can examine for themselves.
We also assess the accuracy, sourcing and fact-checking practices of individual articles, public claims and news services. These assessments are intended to help readers understand how information has been produced, what evidence supports it and where important uncertainties, omissions or inaccuracies may exist.
The OpenSomething Foundation may also recognise exceptional work through editorial, research and media awards. These awards are intended to encourage journalism and research that is accurate, useful, transparent, independent and meaningfully serves the public.
Open and Free to Use
OpenSomething is built around the principle that useful public-interest information should be accessible. Our reports and public resources are made available free of charge, and our open-source work may be examined, reused or developed further under the licence stated alongside the relevant material.
Open source does not mean an absence of editorial responsibility. Every item published by OpenSomething remains subject to our editorial standards, evidence requirements and public-interest test.
Our Public-Interest Standard
OpenSomething does not publish information simply because it is interesting, controversial or capable of attracting attention. We publish only where the OpenSomething Foundation believes that publication directly serves the public interest.
This may include work that improves public understanding, corrects significant misinformation, examines the conduct of influential institutions, evaluates the reliability of widely distributed claims or makes otherwise difficult-to-access information available for legitimate research.
Our public-interest assessment considers the value of publication alongside possible risks, including unnecessary harm, intrusion, loss of privacy and the potential for information to be misunderstood or misused.
Editorial Independence
OpenSomething operates independently. Our conclusions are not determined by advertisers, political parties, corporations, public authorities, campaign groups or the subjects of our reporting.
Editorial assessments are based on the available evidence, the reliability of sources, the significance of the subject and the Foundation’s published standards. Recognition, criticism or ranking by OpenSomething does not imply a permanent judgement about a person, publication or organisation. Assessments relate to the evidence and material available at the time and may be revised when meaningful new information becomes available.
Accuracy, Fairness and Corrections
We aim to distinguish clearly between verified facts, reasonable conclusions, allegations, commentary and unresolved questions. Where a person or organisation is the subject of significant criticism, we seek to represent their position fairly and provide an appropriate opportunity to respond wherever practicable.
OpenSomething welcomes corrections and evidence-based challenges. Material errors will be corrected openly, and substantial updates will be identified where appropriate. Rankings, fact checks and assessments may be amended when stronger evidence emerges or when our original analysis is shown to have been incomplete.
Our work should be scrutinised as carefully as the work we examine. We do not claim infallibility. We claim only a serious commitment to evidence, transparency, correction and the public interest.
The OpenSomething Foundation
The OpenSomething Foundation is the organisation responsible for the governance, maintenance and editorial direction of OpenSomething. Its purpose is to strengthen the wider information environment by supporting independent media, enabling responsible research and creating public resources that can be used without unnecessary financial or technical barriers.
Through publishing, open-source development, fact-checking, accuracy assessments and editorial awards, the Foundation works towards a media and research culture in which important claims can be examined openly and trustworthy work can be recognised.
OpenSomething exists to make public-interest information more accessible, public claims more accountable and independent research more possible.