Corrections & updates - meta
Sometimes we might get something wrong. We might have outdated information. It's our responsibility to prevent misinformation, here's how we do this & how you can help.
In March 2024, I (Panley) released This Article covering a security issue in an unreleased Discord feature. In the initial publication, I ascribed this to the wrong feature. This made me realize, I need policies and contact points for handling corrections on anything posted here. This article will cover those points.
How an article is made
Every time an article is published on this site, the following steps must happen:
- Primary research (if possible) - If to do with the Discord API, direct interaction should be documented in the article. If no primary research can be done;
- Secondary research - Ask people about the thing, write down what they said, cite them if possible. This is good but anecdotal evidence doesn't get criminals convicted in the same way secondary research doesn't make an article well researched.
- Proofing (internal) - At this point, articles should now be proofed by a member of the PNLY Admin team. This is a hunt for typos and mistakes, as well as ensuring brand friendliness.
- Proofing (external) - Did we cover something someone else has made? Awesome, they need to see (and ideally approve) this article before it goes out. We should be pro-active about this.
How an article is re-made
So we do all this, and a mistake still slips in. What's next?
- Passively solicit corrections - We have several surfaces for corrections. Logged in users can leave comments on posts, I (Panley) have a Contact Form, you can email [email protected] or [email protected] and you can always reach me on other socials.
- Actively update articles - If something we've written about changes, often what we've written should too.
- Self accountability - We make the articles, it's our job to ensure they're accurate. If we fail in that, we need to acknowledge it. In that spirit, any time a correction (but not an update) is made to an article, we will explain what's changed and why at the bottom of the article.
The policies above will be in full force as of the publishing date of this article. There's one final thing you can do to help. Hold us accountable. We, as with any information source, have a duty to prevent misinformation.