What do we verify?
Our fact-checking team examines every factual claim in an article before publication, including names, dates, statistics, quotes, historical references and legal assertions. We do not verify opinion or analysis, but we do verify the facts underpinning them.
We maintain a clear distinction between verified facts, expert analysis and editorial opinion. Every article published on Wochenanalyse.de is reviewed by at least one editor and a dedicated fact-checker before it goes live. Our fact-checkers consult primary sources wherever possible — official documents, government databases, peer-reviewed research, court rulings and direct recordings — rather than relying on secondary summaries. Claims that cannot be traced to a primary source are flagged and either removed or reported with an explicit caveat.
How do we rank our sources?
We use a clear source hierarchy that prioritises primary and verifiable documentation over secondary or anonymous claims. This hierarchy is published in full at /sources/.
At the top are official records, legal documents, government data and peer-reviewed research. Below that come reputable media reports, expert interviews and verified eyewitness accounts. Anonymous sources are used only when necessary and are subject to additional editorial scrutiny. All sources are assessed for reliability, currency and relevance to the specific claim. Our fact-checking lead, Lea Schreiber, maintains a regularly updated database of source types and their standing within this hierarchy.
How do we handle rumours and unverified claims?
Any rumour, unverified report or disputed claim is explicitly labelled as such in our reporting. We distinguish clearly between what has been independently verified and what is reported as an allegation or assertion from a named party.
We never present speculation as fact. If a claim cannot be verified to our standards, we either omit it or report it with a clear caveat explaining the status. Readers can see our full approach to unverified content in the standards document at /editorial-policy/.
What happens when a reader raises a concern?
When a reader submits a concern to factcheck@wochenanalyse.de, our fact-checking lead, Lea Schreiber, reviews the claim, consults the original sources and determines whether a correction is needed.
The reader receives an acknowledgement within two working days and a substantive response within five working days. If a correction is required, we follow the formal procedure published at /corrections-policy/. Corrections are appended to the original article with a clear note explaining what changed and why. A record of all significant corrections is maintained on our corrections page.
How this works in practice
Take a concrete example. In January 2025, an article about Swedish municipal housing policy cited a statistic on rental price increases. A reader wrote to factcheck@ with a link to a different official figure.
Lea Schreiber reviewed both numbers against the original Statistics Sweden dataset, found that the article had used an outdated table, and published a correction within 48 hours. The article was updated with a note explaining the correction, and the reader was thanked and credited (with their permission). This is how we handle every verified concern — quickly, transparently and with a clear record of what changed.
Who oversees sensitive or complex articles?
For articles that touch on legal proceedings, public health claims, political controversies or financial markets, our Standards Lead (the Chefredaktör, Peter Weber) reviews the fact-checking file before publication.
This additional layer ensures that high-stakes reporting meets the same rigorous standards as our routine coverage. Lea Schreiber, our Ansvarig för faktagranskning, is responsible for training fact-checkers, maintaining source databases and auditing past articles for consistency. The full team is listed at /our-team/.
Wochenanalyse.de is owned and operated by Wochenanalys Media Ltd., a private company registered in Gibraltar (company number C 92009, Malta Business Registry) with a registered office at Office 9, Business Centre, Valletta, 0000. Full details of our ownership and funding are at /ownership-funding/. Our funding comes from display advertising, affiliate links, commercial partnerships, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships and content licensing. Sponsored or commercial material is always clearly labelled, and affiliate links are disclosed. Commercial relationships never determine editorial conclusions.
In short
Every article you read on Wochenanalyse.de has been checked against primary sources, reviewed by at least one editor and approved by a human fact-checker before publication. If you spot something that does not look right, write to factcheck@wochenanalyse.de and we will investigate promptly and transparently.