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County · Transit · Police · Mon Sep 28

Three people are shot on a BART train at the Pittsburg transfer platform

> THE MARTINEZ WIRE ▌SOURCE CHECK · SEP 29, 2026C63 / 100

Grade C · score 63/100

The best-sourced telling, by Contra Costa Herald, links no document and names two people or agencies on the record; three other outlets told it too.

Checked Tue Sep 29, 12:52 AM · 5 of 5 pages read

What the reporting says

An argument turned into a shooting on Monday, Sept. 28, BART said; the three had non-life-threatening injuries, and one of two suspects is in custody.

coverage4 outlets

4 newsrooms

Contra Costa Herald

News report · Publisher · Tue Sep 29, 5:01 AM

Source grade C63/100

“Argument leads to shooting of three at BART transfer platform in Pittsburg”

Three people were shot Monday evening, Sept. 28, 2026, while inside a BART vehicle at the transfer platform in Pittsburg and one of two suspects is in custody.

The opening, as Contra Costa Herald wrote it

0 documents linked6 quotes6 of 10 paragraphs say where facts came from

Read the full story at Contra Costa Herald

How this was graded21 + 12 + 10 + 8 = 51 of 80 → 63/100 · Grade C
21
Sourcing · of 45
12
Corroboration · of 15
10
Headline · of 10
8
Transparency · of 10

Left out: Record match (nothing of that kind to count).

NBC Bay Area

News report · Ali Reid, Kristofer Noceda · Mon Sep 28, 6:10 PM

Source grade C61/100

“3 Injured in shooting at Pittsburg BART transfer platform; search for second suspect underway”

Three people were injured Monday evening in a shooting following an argument on a BART transfer platform in Pittsburg, prompting a manhunt for a second suspect and causing major disruptions for evening commuters.

The opening, as NBC Bay Area wrote it

0 documents linked4 quotes4 of 10 paragraphs say where facts came from

Read the full story at NBC Bay Area

How this was graded18 + 12 + 10 + 9 = 49 of 80 → 61/100 · Grade C
18
Sourcing · of 45
12
Corroboration · of 15
10
Headline · of 10
9
Transparency · of 10

Left out: Record match (nothing of that kind to count).

KTVU FOX 2

News report · KTVU Staff, Zak Sos · Mon Sep 28, 6:22 PM

Source grade C59/100

“3 injured in BART transfer platform shooting; service stopped, 1 suspect detained”

Shooting reported on BART transfer platform, victims injured as service is stopped One suspect has been detained and another is being sought by police after a shooting was reported on a BART transfer platform in Pittsburg on Monday evening.

The opening, as KTVU FOX 2 wrote it

0 documents linked5 quotes6 of 11 paragraphs say where facts came fromHeadline: the headline's 3 is not in the first three paragraphs −4

Read the full story at KTVU FOX 2

How this was graded21.6 + 12 + 6 + 8 = 47.6 of 80 → 59/100 · Grade C
21.6
Sourcing · of 45
12
Corroboration · of 15
6
Headline · of 10
8
Transparency · of 10

Left out: Record match (nothing of that kind to count).

ContraCosta.news

News report · CC News · Mon Sep 28, 7:26 PM

Source grade D53/100

“3 People Shot on Pittsburg BART Platform”

The Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred in Pittsburg Monday afternoon.

The opening, as ContraCosta.news wrote it

0 documents linked0 quotes3 of 11 paragraphs say where facts came from

Read the full story at ContraCosta.news

How this was graded12.8 + 12 + 10 + 8 = 42.8 of 80 → 53/100 · Grade D
12.8
Sourcing · of 45
12
Corroboration · of 15
10
Headline · of 10
8
Transparency · of 10

Left out: Record match (nothing of that kind to count).

KTVU FOX 2

News report · Mon Sep 28, 10:18 PM

Not graded

“Shooting reported on BART transfer platform, victims injured as service is stopped”

0 documents linked0 quotes

Not graded · the page has no story text the Wire can read

Read the full story at KTVU FOX 2

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    How the grading works

    The short version

    The Wire grades each article from what the page itself shows: whether its facts say where they came from, the public documents it links, the other outlets and sources that confirm the same story, whether its facts match the Wire's own public records, a calm headline, and a clear byline and date. The story takes its best-sourced telling's grade. The grade describes the page, never the people in it.

    The formulaGrade = 100 × points ÷ possibleA 85 · B 70 · C 55 · D 40

    Grade = 100 × points ÷ possibleeach article · 0 to 100

    Story = its best tellingA 85 · B 70 · C 55 · D 40 · F below 40

    45
    Sourcing · 25 for the share of facts that say where they came from, 0, 7 or 12 for none, one or two or more public documents linked, 0 to 8 for the people and agencies named on the record
    15
    Corroboration · 8 or 12 for one or two or more other outlets or sources confirming it, 3 more when one is official; 8 for a telling alone that links two or more documents
    20
    Record match · 20 × the key facts confirmed or matching the Wire's records ÷ the facts checked; left out when none could be checked
    10
    Headline · less for a question, capitals, an exclamation mark, a teaser or heated words
    10
    Transparency · a byline, a date, an update or correction note, the outlet's identity, the kind labelled
    This story's arithmeticfour articles graded
    OutletSCRHTScore
    Contra Costa Herald2112–10863
    NBC Bay Area1812–10961
    KTVU FOX 221.612–6859
    ContraCosta.news12.812–10853

    21 + 12 + 10 + 8 = 51 of 80 → 63/100 · Grade C

    S sourcing · C corroboration · R record match · H headline · T transparency. A dash is a part left out.

    How it is checked6 rules
    • Every input is read by rules from the page itself; the arithmetic is shown for every article.
    • An article that names no source, links no document and names no one on the record says "No sources cited", and its grade is at most D.
    • Where the Wire's own records hold the fact (a vote, a meeting, an amount, a call, a listing), the story and the record are set side by side; a vote the record tells differently holds the grade at most at D.
    • An agency's own release is the record itself and is not graded; an outlet that prints it as its story counts once.
    • Each story's key facts are checked for independent confirmation: first by rules against the Wire's records and the agencies' own releases, then each morning by research. A confirmation counts only when the Wire read the source's page itself and found the sentence on it; a government page, a public record or another newsroom's own reporting, never a copy of the story or a social post. A source that tells a fact differently is shown beside the story.
    • A page the Wire cannot read is never guessed at: it shows only its own headline, quoted, and is not graded.
    Sources5 records
    1. News reportTue Sep 29Contra Costa HeraldRead
    2. News reportMon Sep 28NBC Bay AreaRead
    3. News reportMon Sep 28KTVU FOX 2Read
    4. News reportMon Sep 28ContraCosta.newsRead
    5. News reportMon Sep 28KTVU FOX 2Read