Community Notes & Fact Checks
Make the Redaction Pass Before the Publish Button
This field note is part of the FOBA learning stream. It is meant to orient readers and point toward better source work.
Key points
- A redaction pass is not an afterthought. It is part of the research method.
- Before a note becomes public, remove private contact details, current addresses, medical details, financial information, raw DNA files, and private living-family conflict.
- A public page can still teach the source method with pseudonyms, generalized examples, and source locations instead of private documents.
Next steps
- Ask whether any living person could be identified or harmed.
- Use pseudonyms and source descriptions where details are not necessary.
- Send uncertain material to Safe Sharing or owner review before publishing.
Source trail
- FOBA Safe Sharing – Internal privacy and pseudonym guidance.