Editorial standards

What we publish

Penblock organizes reporting about events that can affect markets. We don't do original reporting. We collect what established outlets, independent on-the-ground sources, think tanks and official filings have published, group reports about the same event, and explain what it could mean. Every event page lists its sources, each linked to the original article or filing. Penblock is operated by Michael Wilson.

How sources are selected and checked

• We track a fixed, published set of source types: mainstream outlets, operational and independent sources close to events, think tanks and analysts, and official disclosures. Each report is labeled with its source type, so you can see who is saying what.
• Reports describing the same event are grouped onto one page. Confidence reflects how many independent kinds of source report the event, not how certain any single source sounds. See How it works for the full scale.
• Where only one side of the media is covering a story, we say so rather than presenting it as settled.

How we use AI

• Collection, grouping, classification and summaries are automated and AI-assisted. Pages are not individually reviewed by an editor before they appear, which is why every claim links to its source and why corrections are taken seriously.
• Headlines and summaries are written in our own words from the reported facts. We never reproduce a publisher's headline or description; an automated check rejects any wording copied from a source headline.
• Summaries may only use facts stated in the underlying reports. Market commentary describes possible effects in general terms and never states a price target or an outcome as certain.

Scenarios and how they change

For some events we outline how the situation could play out (resolved, left unattended, or escalated) with a qualitative likelihood for each. The first assessment is kept unchanged and dated, so it can later be compared with what actually happened. When significant new reporting about the same situation arrives, the outlook is re-assessed and each change is recorded with its date and the development that caused it. A likelihood moves at most one step per update, and only when the new reporting concerns the same specific situation.

Congressional trading data

Trades shown on Congressional Stock Trades are parsed directly from the Periodic Transaction Reports members of the U.S. House file with the House Clerk under the STOCK Act, without AI. Amounts are the ranges members report, not exact figures, and every filing links to the original disclosure.

Corrections

If something is wrong, email hello@penblock.com with the page and what is incorrect. We review reports promptly and correct, update or remove the content. Publishers who want a source credited differently or removed can use the same address.

Independence and advertising

Penblock is free to read and supported by advertising. Advertisers have no say in what we cover or how we describe it, and ads are visually separate from editorial content. Nothing on Penblock is investment advice; see the disclaimer.