Editorial Methodology

How PromiseClock decides what to track, how a promise gets its status, and how we keep our work non-partisan.

What counts as a promise

A commitment must meet all four criteria:

1. Verifiable — can be objectively assessed as kept or broken.
2. Specific — concrete action, target, or policy change.
3. Sourced — primary source: official statement, transcript, parliamentary record.
4. Public — made publicly, not in a private communication.

Status definitions

• Pending — Promise made, no action yet.
• In Progress — Measurable steps taken; source required.
• Kept — Core commitment fully delivered.
• Partially Kept — Some but not all elements delivered.
• Broken — Explicitly abandoned or directly contradicted.
• Overdue — Stated deadline passed without delivery (auto).
• Unverifiable — Cannot be measured objectively (rare).

Editorial process

1. New promises start as verified = false and are not public.
2. An editor reviews the source, verifies, and publishes.
3. Every status change records a source URL and editorial note.
4. Disputed decisions require two-editor consensus.
5. Corrections are reviewed within 48 hours.

Non-partisanship policy

Identical criteria applied to every politician, party, and country. We do not editorialise on whether a promise was a good idea — only on whether it was kept.