About 4Journalism

4Journalism is a focused search platform and resource center designed for people who investigate, explain and verify the news: reporters, editors, fact checkers, journalism students, and independent researchers. Our purpose is straightforward -- make the routine work of reporting faster and clearer by gathering the public sources, tools, and workflows reporters use into one place. We index public web content that matters to reporting -- news archives, public records, regulatory filings, source documents and specialized databases -- and present results with context that supports verification, attribution and editorial workflows.

Why 4Journalism exists

Reporting requires two things that are often in tension: speed and rigor. A reporter on deadline needs to find a credible lead quickly; an investigative reporter needs to trace a complex record over months. General-purpose search tools can be excellent for broad discovery, but the needs of newsroom research -- source verification, primary-source priority, metadata for citations, and tools to preserve and share findings -- are distinct. 4Journalism was built to sit at that intersection: to reduce the time spent hunting for documents, to highlight primary sources and public records, and to provide practical features that plug directly into newsroom processes like editorial review, corrections tracking and FOIA requests.

What the search engine is

At its core, 4Journalism is a journalism web search engine with integrated research tools and a resource library. It combines multiple indexes and search algorithms tuned for journalistic relevance rather than general popularity. The platform is aimed at everyday reporting tasks -- local reporting, beat updates, breaking news searches -- and long-form investigative work that relies on archival research, legal filings, and public records. We emphasize transparent sources and primary documents so users can see the evidence behind a claim, cite materials properly, and capture snapshots for later verification.

What we index

We index a range of publicly available sources that are useful in reporting and academic journalism:

Newsroom websites and news archives -- for tracing coverage and headline tracking across outlets.
Wire services and press briefings -- so press coverage and official statements are easy to find.
Public records and legal filings -- court records, filings, registries and other source documents.
Regulatory databases and government repositories -- permitting, licensing, enforcement actions.
Academic papers and research reports -- for context, citations, and data journalism reference.
Specialized datasets useful to investigative reporting and data journalism.
Cached snapshots and media sources to aid source verification and corrections tracking.

How 4Journalism works

Instead of a single index, 4Journalism blends several search systems into one interface. That means your query can be routed to the part of the index that's most likely to contain the kind of source you need: primary documents, news coverage, or specialized databases. The search experience combines relevance ranking with source-aware heuristics so your results are more likely to include documentary evidence and original reporting rather than only secondary commentary.

Search tabs and workflows

To reflect different reporting tasks, the site offers specialized search tabs and features:

Web Search: For deep research across the open internet and specialized repositories. Use advanced filters to focus on public records, legal filings, or specific source types.
News Search: For monitoring coverage, tracing how a story evolves, and accessing news archives for corrections tracking and headline tracking.
Shopping: A curated list of journalism gear and services -- camera rigs, microphones, recorders, editing software, transcription services, wireless recorders, lenses, tripods, lighting kits, portable hotspots and remote reporting tools -- selected for practical use in the field and the newsroom.
AI Chat: An assistant configured around newsroom workflows to help with interview prep, story outline generation, summarization tool functions, press release rewrite, and basic transcription help.

Each component includes filters, save functions and export options that align with newsroom work. For example, search results include source type labels, citation-ready metadata, and quick verification options like cached snapshots and reverse image search links. Users can save search results to research folders, export citations in common newsroom formats, and create coverage timelines that map how an issue developed across outlets.

What makes it useful for people interested in journalism

4Journalism is built with editorial needs in mind. The design choices and feature set reflect input from working reporters and editors, focusing on the kinds of tasks that take time away from reporting:

Source-aware ranking: Results are prioritized by source type and documentary value so primary evidence like legal filings, public records and first-hand reporting surfaces quickly.
Verification-focused features: Cached archives, metadata displays, reverse image search links and FOIA templates are integrated into results so verification steps are obvious and repeatable.
Journalism-focused indexes: We include specialized materials -- corrections databases, archival news feeds, investigative sources and public records -- that aren't always easy to find with general search tools.
Editorial workflows: Save sets of search results, build research folders, export citations, and use the AI assistant to help convert research into a story outline or an interview guide.
Monitoring and alerts: Beat reporting, investigative alerts and coverage timelines make it easier to track updates from wire services, local reporting and national outlets.

Types of results you can expect

Search results are labeled and presented with a focus on transparency and usability:

Primary-source results: Documents such as court filings, regulatory decisions, FOIA releases and public records with clear metadata and direct links to source repositories.
News articles and archives: Coverage from local and national outlets, including wire services and corrections tracking when available.
Multimedia sources: Photo and video sources with reverse image search links and captions when possible.
Databases and datasets: Links to structured data useful for data journalism and investigative reporting.
Verification items: Cached snapshots, scraped copies, and cross-references to help with source verification and attribution.

AI built for reporters, not just general chat

We include an AI assistant tuned to newsroom tasks rather than generic conversation. The assistant is intended as a reporting assistant and an editor support tool -- a reporting companion that suggests logical next steps, points out where verification is needed, and helps structure work.

Examples of what the AI can do:

Draft interview questions tailored to a beat, a local reporting assignment, or an investigative subject.
Summarize long reports, public records or datasets and highlight parts that may require follow-up or source evaluation.
Generate a story outline generator output from search results and saved research folders.
Suggest verification steps for a claim using source verification best practices and fact checking guidance.
Produce FOIA request templates or checklists for legal filings and document search strategies (informational only -- not legal advice).
Offer transcription help, interview prep prompts, headline drafting suggestions and content adaptation ideas for different platforms.

The assistant makes an effort to include citations when it references external facts or documents, and it flags areas where the underlying sources should be reviewed directly. It is configured to emphasize media ethics, source evaluation, and the limits of automated output -- users are encouraged to verify AI outputs against primary documents and newsroom standards.

Privacy, security and responsible use

Journalism often deals with sensitive information and endangered sources. We structure the platform to respect those realities. Some key principles:

Search queries and saved folders are private by default. You control sharing and exports.
We do not sell individual user query data to advertisers. Any analytics we collect are aggregated and used to improve search relevance and reliability.
When users work with sensitive documents, the platform provides guidance on secure communication and recommends tools and best practices to reduce risk to reporters and sources. This is general guidance and not legal advice.
We index and surface public web content only. We do not index private or restricted datasets without explicit public access.

Ethics, media literacy and source verification

Good reporting depends on strong media ethics and careful source verification. 4Journalism is designed to support those practices rather than replace them. The platform offers resources and prompts that reinforce media literacy and source evaluation, including:

Tools to check provenance and metadata of documents and media.
Guides on source verification and fact checking, tailored for busy reporters and students.
Reminders to check for conflicts of interest, corrections, and previous coverage on a topic.
Templates for documenting verification steps so editors and fact checkers can follow the trail.

These features are intended to supplement newsroom policies and academic journalism standards, not to replace editorial judgment.

Features for newsroom workflows and productivity

Reporters and editors can use 4Journalism to build repeatable workflows that fit a newsroom's editorial rhythm. Common features that help with productivity include:

Research folders: Save search results, documents, and notes in organized collections that can be exported or shared with colleagues.
Exportable citations: Download citation-ready metadata in formats used by newsrooms and academic journalists.
Coverage timelines: Create a timeline mapping how a story developed across outlets, including headline tracking and press coverage windows.
Investigative alerts: Set up alerts for new filings, court dockets, or mentions of a topic across the indexes.
Corrections tracking: Monitor corrections and retractions related to a subject to help maintain accurate reporting and follow-up stories.
Integration points: Use common export formats that fit newsroom content management systems and research logs.

Tools and resources for investigative reporting

Investigative reporting often requires piecing together disparate records, running data analysis, and chasing leads through legal filings and FOIA requests. 4Journalism adds practical support to those tasks:

Document search: Targeted searches for source documents and public records with filters for date ranges, jurisdiction, and source type.
FOIA and public records help: Templates, sample requests and checklists for following up on formal information requests.
Legal filings and court dockets: Links to filings and case metadata where public, and tips on reading legal documents for reporting purposes.
Data analysis prompts: A set of prompts and suggestions for data journalism workflows, including how to structure a dataset and where to look for public datasets.
Web scraping guidance: General advice on using online databases and web scraping responsibly for research (not technical support for breaking site terms of service or automated abuse).

Shopping and gear recommendations

Field reporting requires reliable equipment. Our Shopping tab focuses on practical gear and services that journalists actually use. This is a convenience feature to help reporters and newsrooms evaluate options -- not a sales pitch. The section covers:

Field kits and camera rigs suited to different types of reporting.
Microphones, recorders and wireless recorders for interviews and live reporting.
Lenses, tripods, lighting kits and portable hotspots for remote reporting tools.
Editing software, transcription services and newsroom subscriptions that help convert raw materials into publishable stories.
Ancillary items like press credentials guidance and journalist insurance considerations (informational only).

We include user-oriented reviews and checklists so reporters can compare practical trade-offs -- battery life, portability, transcription accuracy -- not just marketing specs.

Who uses 4Journalism

The platform is designed for a broad range of people working in or studying news and public interest reporting:

Local reporters and beat reporting teams tracking municipal government, schools, courts and public safety.
Investigative reporters and in-depth reporting teams working with legal filings, regulatory databases and public records.
Editors, fact checkers and newsroom staff managing press coverage, corrections tracking, and editorial workflows.
Photojournalists and multimedia journalists who need source verification and media-source metadata.
Journalism students and educators in academic journalism who are learning research and verification methods.
Civic organizations, researchers and independent investigators who need reliable access to public records and news archives.

Because the platform focuses on the public web and public records search, it is best used by the general public and newsroom professionals rather than by those needing specialized, restricted datasets.

Practical examples and workflows

Here are a few brief examples of how 4Journalism can fit into common reporting workflows.

Local reporting: tracing a municipal decision

A reporter following a zoning decision can use News Search to find recent coverage and corrections, Web Search to locate the city council minutes and regulatory filings, and Document Search to pull public records related to permits. Results come labeled by source type so the reporter can quickly cite the official council packet, a related press briefing, and relevant legal filings. The reporter saves the items to a research folder, generates a coverage timeline, and uses the AI assistant to draft interview questions for council members and affected residents.

Investigative reporting: following money through public filings

An investigative reporter looking into a funding trail can search legal filings and public records, set investigative alerts for new filings, and use data analysis prompts to combine datasets. FOIA request templates and guidance help with pursuing restricted documents. The AI chat can summarize long records and suggest next verification steps while the reporter documents sources and compiles citation-ready metadata for editorial review.

Fact checking and corrections tracking

Fact checkers use the platform to track claims back to original sources and to find prior corrections in newsroom archives. The verification features -- cached snapshots, reverse image search links, and metadata -- help determine provenance, while the AI assistant suggests sourcing improvements and phrasing for corrections.

Integration with newsroom systems

4Journalism is designed to be interoperable with newsroom workflows. Export formats, citation-ready metadata, and shareable research folders enable easier handoffs to CMS systems, editorial checklists and collaboration tools. The platform's organization around source type, coverage timeline, and investigative alerts is meant to reduce friction in storyrooms where multiple people contribute to a story over time.

Educational resources and media literacy

We provide materials for educators and students that focus on the fundamentals of reporting: how to identify source types, how to evaluate evidence, how to construct a FOIA request, and how to document reporting steps. These resources are intended to support academic journalism courses and workshops on media literacy. They align with widely accepted newsroom standards and emphasize ethical guidance and source evaluation rather than procedural shortcuts.

Limits and responsible expectations

It's important to set appropriate expectations. 4Journalism is a research and discovery tool, not a substitute for editorial judgment, legal advice, or primary-source review. We do not provide privileged access to private databases, and we do not make legal, financial, or medical claims. Users should treat automated summaries and AI outputs as starting points that require human verification. Our goal is to make those verification steps easier and more transparent, not to replace them.

How to get started

To begin, start at the home page to explore templates and common research patterns. Try a targeted Web Search for public records search and legal filings, use News Search to set up beat updates and investigative alerts, and check the Shopping tab if you're assembling a field kit or newsroom gear list. Use the AI chat for interview prep, summarization, or to generate a story outline from a set of saved sources. Save searches you rely on and organize them into research folders you can export or share with colleagues.

Small habit suggestions to get immediate value:

Save a research folder for each ongoing story or beat.
Use the source type labels to build a quick checklist: primary document, official statement, independent reporting, dataset.
Set an investigative alert for a legal docket or regulatory feed you follow regularly.
Export citation metadata into your newsroom's editorial log early -- it saves time at publication and helps with corrections tracking.

Community, feedback and contributions

We design the roadmap around the needs of practicing journalists and researchers. If you work in a newsroom, teach journalism, or run reporting projects, your suggestions for sources, datasets, or features are valuable. We welcome feedback from users who are actively reporting and researching because practical experience shapes how the product evolves.

If you have ideas, requests or a source to recommend, please reach out via our contact page: Contact Us. We review submissions for potential inclusion and consider contributions that expand public access to source documents and archives.

Closing note

4Journalism aims to simplify the busy, often fragmented parts of reporting -- finding source documents, verifying media, and organizing research -- while preserving the judgment-based work that makes journalism reliable. Whether you are doing local reporting, in-depth investigative reporting, academic journalism, or learning the craft, the platform is built to be a practical companion: a journalism web search tuned for newsroom tasks, a research toolkit with fact checking and source verification aids, and an AI assistant aligned with editorial standards. The goal is to help you spend less time hunting for reliable sources and more time on the reporting itself.

If you're ready to explore, start with the Web Search and try saving a folder for a current story. And if you want to tell us about a specific source or dataset that should be indexed, we'd appreciate your input: Contact Us.