Behind Political Watch

Political Watch is produced by an editorial team following politics at the federal and state level. Contributors research and write; editors review, verify and publish. Coverage decisions are made in-house and are not directed by any party, campaign, committee or donor.

Our Beat

Congress and the legislative process. The executive branch and the agencies that carry out its decisions. Foreign policy where it reaches American interests. Courts, when their rulings change how power is exercised. And the state capitals where a great deal of consequential policy is actually made.

We are interested in the machinery as much as the personalities — how a rule gets written, how a nomination stalls, how an appropriation moves.

How Our Coverage Comes Together

Stories begin in the public record: filings, votes, transcripts, agency notices, official statements and reporting from outlets covering the same beat. A contributor establishes what the record shows, drafts the piece and links its sources. An editor reviews for accuracy, fairness and whether the framing is actually supported before publication.

Our explanatory coverage — open meeting laws, news embargoes, how transparency rules work — follows the same process with more research time.

Our Commitments

We attribute claims to the people making them. We distinguish allegation from finding. We describe positions we disagree with in terms their holders would accept. And when the record does not support a conclusion, we do not reach it anyway.

We are a small publication covering a large subject. We are candid about that scale rather than implying a bureau we do not have. Our Editorial Policy sets out the standards in full.

Contacting the Team

Story tips, questions and corrections: contact@politicalwatch.net. Corrections in particular — tell us, and we will fix it.