Journalists verify crypto claims with rules, not vibes. Cointelegraph publishes its rules openly. The mission section says the outlet will carefully interrogate the claims of those who purport to represent the industry’s technology. A founder who reads that line as hostile has misread it. It’s an instruction manual.
Sources Get Sorted Into Written Categories
The same policy defines source terms in plain language. Everything is on the record by default. Off the record means confidential and never published or attributed. On background means the information can be used without naming the source, and it needs prior agreement and editorial approval.
Two lines in that list matter most for founders. Terms can’t change after the fact. And anonymous sources need editor approval plus independent verification. So a founder can’t say something on the record and ask to walk it back later.
Agree the Terms Before You Answer
Say it up front. Is this on the record, on background, or off? Reporters respect the question. Guessing after the fact is how a candid comment ends up under a name. The habit belongs in every founder’s media prep.
Verify Crypto Claims by Handing Over the Proof
A reporter checking a claim wants something they can check without you. A contract address. An audit report with a date. A wallet they can trace. Claims about users or volume need evidence a journalist can rebuild, like onchain attribution a reporter can follow.
Anonymous teams face a steeper climb. An anonymous source can’t carry a story alone under that policy. It needs independent confirmation from somewhere else.
Source terms quiz
Test yourself on how a newsroom treats what you say.
Careful Language Helps Verification Too
Claims that drift into promises get flagged for a different reason. The caution behind token statements that don’t read as offers also makes a claim easier to check, since specific facts beat vague upside.
Preparing a founder to answer hard questions on the record is core work at News Coverage Agency. Book a prep session before your next interview, not after.