Fact-Checking Policy

Why Fact-Checking Matters in Tech Coverage

Technology journalism carries a specific accuracy burden: the people reading our how-to guides follow the steps we describe. The people buying gadgets based on our reviews rely on the specifications we quote. The people making decisions about apps trust that our version number, pricing, and feature descriptions are correct at the time of publication. Getting these things wrong is not a minor stylistic failure — it costs readers time, money, and sometimes security.

This page describes how HogaToga verifies factual claims before publication. It applies to all content types: reviews, tutorials, news articles, feature pieces, and buying guides.

Primary and Official Sources

The first standard for any verifiable claim is an official, primary source. For app and game coverage, this means the developer’s own release notes, in-app descriptions, official website, or press release. For hardware specifications, this means the manufacturer’s published spec sheet or product page — not a retailer’s listing, which may be inaccurate. For software behaviour, this means our own direct testing on a real device running the current version. For pricing, this means checking the actual store listing at time of writing, not a cached or third-party price.

We treat official developer documentation — API docs, SDK release notes, platform changelogs — as authoritative for technical claims about how software works. Where official documentation is unclear or contradictory, we test the behaviour ourselves and describe what we observed.

How Specifications and Prices Are Verified

Before a specification or price is published, the writer checks it against the manufacturer’s or developer’s official source. For hardware reviews this includes battery capacity, display resolution, processor model, memory, and connectivity specs. For app reviews this includes subscription pricing, free tier limitations, and advertised feature set. These checks are done at time of writing, and articles include the date they were last verified for time-sensitive information.

Prices in particular change frequently. HogaToga does not guarantee that prices quoted in older articles remain accurate. Articles containing specific pricing include a note directing readers to check current prices at the official store or retailer.

Direct Testing and Verification

For how-to content, the steps in the tutorial are performed by the writer on a real device before the article is published. We do not publish tutorials based on what a process is expected to work like — we publish what actually happened when we did it. Where a process differs across operating system versions or device models, we say which version we tested on.

For reviews, the product is used for a meaningful testing period before assessment. We do not publish first-impression pieces as reviews. We describe our testing conditions so readers know whether our experience is likely to reflect theirs.

Labelling Reported, Rumoured, and Expected Information

Not everything in tech coverage is confirmed fact. Upcoming product specifications, release dates, and feature announcements are often based on credible but unconfirmed reports. HogaToga labels this category of content clearly. Language like "reportedly," "according to [source]," "expected to," or "leaked documents suggest" is used consistently and intentionally when we are reporting information we cannot independently confirm. We link to our source so readers can assess its reliability themselves.

We do not present rumours as confirmed facts. If an article says a device will have a specific specification, it is because a manufacturer has confirmed it. If it says a device is expected to have that specification based on a supply-chain report, it uses that language.

When a Claim Cannot Be Confirmed

Sometimes a claim that appears in source material — a developer announcement, a press release, a quoted statistic — cannot be independently verified before publication. In this situation we have three options: we attribute the claim to its source and make clear we are reporting what the source says rather than confirming it ourselves; we omit the claim until it can be verified; or, for significant claims, we contact the party responsible and wait for confirmation before publishing.

We do not publish factual claims we cannot source. If something is widely repeated online but has no traceable primary source, we do not treat widespread repetition as verification.

Updates and Post-Publication Accuracy

Published articles are updated when factual information changes materially — particularly for software version details, pricing, and feature descriptions. Updates are noted in the article with a date. Errors identified after publication are handled under our Corrections Policy. Our Editorial Policy describes the distinction between an update and a correction.