Methodology
What we do
Michael West Review systematically examines factual claims published by Michael West Media. We assess each claim against authoritative sources and assign a verdict on a nine-point scale.
Verdict scale
- True
- The claim is accurate and supported by authoritative sources.
- Mostly True
- The claim is largely accurate but requires minor clarification or additional context.
- Misleading
- The claim contains factual elements but omits context or frames information in a way that creates a false impression.
- Unsupported
- The claim cannot be verified from authoritative sources available at the time of review.
- Disputed
- Authoritative sources present conflicting evidence or interpretations on this claim.
- False
- The claim is directly contradicted by multiple independent authoritative sources.
- Defamatory
- The claim is false and makes a specific allegation against a named individual or organisation that could constitute defamation — a false statement of fact damaging to reputation with no legitimate factual basis.
- Racist
- The claim relies on racial or ethnic stereotyping as its core premise, or explicitly attributes negative characteristics to people based on race or ethnicity.
- Not Checked
- The article makes serious allegations about a named party without any indication the journalist sought their response. This is a journalistic standards verdict: the reporting may be factually accurate but is one-sided by omission of the subject's perspective.
Source standards
We cite only authoritative sources: major Australian and international news outlets, government regulators (ASIC, AUSTRAC, ATO, ACCC, APRA, and others), court records, parliamentary records, and primary documents such as annual reports and official statements.
We do not use blogs, opinion columns, social media posts, or Wikipedia as primary sources. We do not use Michael West Media articles as evidence in fact-checking Michael West Media claims.
Right of reply
Before every fact-check is published, we send a right-of-reply email to Michael West Media with a 48-hour response window. Any response received is published alongside our review.
Corrections
If we make an error, we correct it promptly and transparently. All corrections are logged on our Corrections page.