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County · Environment · Fire · Parks · Fri Sep 25

“Bay Area Air District Reconsiders Permit Process for Prescribed Burns”

Headline as KQED wrote it

> THE MARTINEZ WIRE ▌SOURCE CHECK · SEP 29, 2026B71 / 100

Grade B · score 71/100

The story links three public documents and names five people or agencies on the record.

Checked Tue Sep 29, 12:52 AM · 1 of 1 page read

coverage1 outlet

1 newsroom

KQED

News report · Gilare Zada · Fri Sep 25, 2:34 PM

Source grade B71/100

“Bay Area Air District Reconsiders Permit Process for Prescribed Burns”

After a controlled burn on Angel Island this week sent smoke into residential areas across the Bay Area — and pushed air quality along the Richmond coast above 400 on the Air Quality Index — regulators said they’re now considering changing how permits are issued for future prescribed fires.

The opening, as KQED wrote it

3 documents linked11 quotes8 of 14 paragraphs say where facts came fromparks.ca.gov · baaqmd.gov

Read the full story at KQED

How this was graded34.3 + 8 + 10 + 5 = 57.3 of 80 → 71/100 · Grade B
34.3
Sourcing · of 45
8
Corroboration · of 15
10
Headline · of 10
5
Transparency · of 10

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

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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 arithmeticone article graded
    OutletSCRHTScore
    KQED34.38–10571

    34.3 + 8 + 10 + 5 = 57.3 of 80 → 71/100 · Grade B

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

    How it is checked6 rules
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    • 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.
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    Sources1 records
    1. News reportFri Sep 25KQEDRead