1. The recognition standard
Spine Found
A profile is eligible only when qualifying evidence documents public support for the protest, affected athletes, stated demands, accountability, or a directly connected issue.
SpineCheck does not publish labels or commentary about people who are not recognised. Absence from the directory implies nothing about a person’s beliefs, values, or conduct.
2. Eligible subjects
Profiles are limited to public figures whose work, office, platform, audience, or public role makes commentary on their public conduct reasonably relevant. Private individuals are out of scope.
3. Qualifying evidence
- A public post or video from a verified or reliably attributable account.
- A recorded interview, speech, performance, press statement, or public appearance.
- Reputable reporting that quotes or documents the person’s conduct.
- Corroborated archival material where the original has been deleted.
Anonymous screenshots, edited clips without context, rumours, private messages, synthetic media, and unattributed claims do not qualify by themselves.
4. Review context
Editors consider whether the statement was timely, direct, attributable, relevant, and presented with enough context. Later evidence may correct, expand, or remove a recognition.
5. Review process
- A named community member or editor nominates a public figure with primary evidence.
- A reviewer checks identity, source, date, context, image rights, and duplicates.
- An administrator approves only nominations that meet the recognition standard.
- The profile is published with evidence, attribution, and a correction route.
- Additional evidence, correction requests, expired links, and grievances are reviewed in separate queues.
6. Recognition versus community applause
Recognition reflects a documented evidence review. Community applause expresses appreciation and may determine the featured profile, but it cannot make an ineligible profile eligible or replace editorial review.
7. Conflicts and fairness
Moderators should disclose material conflicts, avoid reviewing close personal or professional associates, and record consequential changes. Subjects and authorized representatives receive the same correction route as any other person, without preferential treatment.
8. Updates and removals
Recognitions may be corrected, annotated, or removed when evidence changes, attribution fails, a source is manipulated, publication creates disproportionate harm, or law requires action. Significant decisions remain in the private administrative audit history.