Our Mission
We exist to make the observable information environment around news findable and legible — for journalists, researchers, and everyone who reads the news.
MAP exists because the information environment around news has become illegible — not because truth disappeared, but because there’s no infrastructure to observe where a story came from, who’s attributed, how detailed it is, and how it’s framed. Every day, stories compete in the same feeds, under the same headlines, with no way to see that environment at a glance.
We’re building that infrastructure — not a verdict on what’s true, but a record of what’s observable.
Trust must be earned, not assumed
No outlet — however reputable — deserves automatic trust. Every piece of content should be examined on its own merits, with signals that readers can inspect. MAP does not verify, score or rate content; it records what is observable.
Verification should be transparent
When MAP records a URL, the methodology is visible. MAP publishes its documentation process and its data sources.
Access to the observable record is a public good
Many of MAP’s context records and ledger signals are available through public endpoints and feeds, and a keyed API is available. Publishers, researchers, and developers can build on them.
Context is as important as facts
A fact stated without context can mislead as effectively as a lie. MAP Context™ modules, which are planned and not yet available, are intended to surface the narrative, source, and historical context every story needs.
MAP operates a verification ledger — an append-oriented, SHA-256 hash-chained record of the context records MAP generates. Each entry is timestamped and copied to AWS on a best-effort basis. Every MAP Verified™ context record documents seven observable dimensions: Origin, Attribution, Specificity, Timing, Framing, Context Change, and Information Relationships. Publishers who earn MAP Certification would carry the MAP Verified™ badge, backed by a public ledger entry. No publisher has been certified yet.