They Knew Editorial Team
Independent Research & Fact-Checking
The They Knew editorial team is a group of independent researchers, investigative journalists, and OSINT analysts dedicated to documenting claims that were dismissed as conspiracy theories but were later proven true by primary sources. We do not operate on speculation. Every claim on our platform is backed by declassified documents, court records, congressional testimony, peer-reviewed research, or direct government admissions.
Our editorial process follows a strict verification methodology. We maintain an eight-tier source hierarchy, ranking evidence from government admissions and declassified documents at the top to expert testimony and investigative journalism at the base. A claim cannot reach “Verified” status without at least one source from the top five tiers. Every status change is logged with a rationale and remains visible in the claim's public audit trail.
We are not aligned with any political party, government, or corporate interest. Our funding comes from community contributions and premium memberships — not advertising, not grants from organizations with agendas, and not government contracts. This independence is not optional; it is the foundation of our credibility.
The team brings backgrounds in national security reporting, FOIA litigation, data journalism, and open-source intelligence gathering. We cross-reference claims against the National Security Archive, the CIA Reading Room, the Church Committee records, court filing databases, and peer-reviewed academic publications. When we say a claim is verified, we mean we can show you the receipts.
Our Verification Methodology
Read the full breakdown of how we verify claims, our source hierarchy, status definitions, and the rules governing status changes.
Read our methodology →