To us, quality is a measure of the value that has been added to an article by its author to inform their readers. This includes the following:
• Original reporting
• Good sourcing
• Exploration of ideas
Overtone scores articles based on the text itself, not the prestige of the outlet or author that published it. Our algorithm has been trained to look for important parts of “journalistic quality” including original reporting, meaningful analysis and good sourcing.
Stories based only on
social media posts
What Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2020 Christmas Card Reveals – Newsweek
Articles that aren’t news
Don’t bin the giblets: they are the home cook’s secret weapon – The Guardian
Short write-ups
Fire destroys three sheds in Escondido – San Diego Union Tribune
Aggregation
Fauci insists there’s no need to cancel Christmas during pandemic – NY Post
Adds some context
‘R’ is for Rohingya: Sesame Street Creates New Muppets for Refugees – NY Times
Covering a news conference
Moline police charge Ohio woman in 1992 death – Cedar Rapids Gazette
In-depth features with solid reporting
Journalists putting in work
How NYC Small Businesses Got Short Shrift on PPP Loans – The City NYC
Reporting based on interviews and documents
How wealthy homeowners are endangering Hawaii’s beaches – Honoulu Star Advertiser
In-depth analysis on multiple angles
COVID-19 Has Changed Science Forever – The Atlantic
From outlets you may or may not be reading
The Epidemic of Teacher Burnout – The Walrus
NOTE: Articles that receive lower scores are often not “bad” articles but simply don’t contain the amount of information or reporting that higher-scoring articles do. They can provide good, truthful coverage of something, but don’t add a lot more. Many articles receive a 1, 2 or 3.