What counts for The Pattern

The principle

The Pattern documents public figures with a sustained, documented record of false statements. Not one-off errors. Not disputed opinions. A pattern — multiple false claims, verified by credible independent sources, that together form a record of systematic deception or disinformation.

The bar is lower than The Receipts — we do not require a court record — but it is not absent. Every entry must be documented by at least two credible independent sources. One source is a claim; two sources are a pattern.

The five documentation tiers

Every entry carries one tier. The tier describes what kind of documentation established the falsehood — not a score of how bad the liar is.

1. TIER 01

   Official investigation

   Documented by a congressional finding, inspector general report, or official commission. Government investigators with subpoena power established the falsehood.

2. TIER 02

   Investigative journalism

   Documented by a major investigative team at a credible news organization. Multiple reporters, multiple sources, editorial review.

3. TIER 03

   Fact-check record

   Systematically documented by fact-checking organizations (PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, AP Fact Check, etc.) with a sustained record of false claims — not a one-off error.

4. TIER 04

   Public record

   Contradicted by court filings, depositions, or official government records. The person's own prior statements or filings contradict their public claims.

5. TIER 05

   Documentary evidence

   Contradicted by published documents, recordings, or other primary sources. The evidence exists in the public record even without a legal proceeding.

What qualifies an entry

• ✠ A specific, attributable claim — something someone actually said, published, or posted, with a date and a venue.
• ✠ Documentation by at least two credible independent sources — fact-checkers, investigative journalists, official investigations, or public records.
• ✠ A pattern of false claims — not a one-off error, but a sustained record of statements that are contradicted by evidence.
• ✠ The person must be a public figure — someone with a platform, an audience, or institutional authority. Private individuals are not cataloged.

What never counts

• ✕ A single fact-check rating without a broader pattern. One False rating is an error; ten is a pattern.
• ✕ Opinion, prediction, or hyperbole. "The economy will crash" is a prediction, not a false statement of fact.
• ✕ Anonymous sources or unverified social media posts. Every claim must be attributable to a named, identified person.
• ✕ Claims that have been corrected or retracted. If the person corrected the record, the correction is the story — not the original error.

Relationship to The Receipts

The Pattern and The Receipts are companion pieces. The Receipts requires a court record; The Pattern documents what the legal system hasn't reached. Some people appear in both — they have court records and broader patterns of documented false statements.

When a Pattern entry gains a court record, it graduates to The Receipts. When a Receipts entry has broader documentation, the Pattern links back. The two pages together form the full map.

Corrections

If an entry is wrong, tell us. Corrections are filed the same day they are verified. The standard for correcting a Pattern entry is the same as the standard for adding one: credible documentation.