Volunteer role
Become a Public Ledger editor
Our standard says two editors check every promise card before it counts. Today that is one person and an automated reviewer. We are looking for two careful readers to make it true.
- Time
- About 2 hours a week
- Where
- Remote, when it suits you
- Trial
- Three months, then decide together
- Pay
- Unpaid: a volunteer role
Apply by emaileditors@ledgergov.uk. A few lines are enough; no CV needed.
What you would do
Public Ledger tracks what UK parties and the government promise, quoted word for word, with what each promise would cost a year, who pays, and a timeline that moves only on evidence. Editors keep the cards honest.
- Check new promise cards against their primary source: the quote word for word, who said it and when, the cost and who pays it.
- Approve a card, or send it back with a note. A card needs two editors' approval to publish.
- Look at what readers send in (new promises, evidence, corrections) and accept or turn it down with a reason, within three working days.
- Now and then, confirm that a promise whose deadline passed with no evidence is “Undone”, and read replies from the people we cover.
How it works
We start with a one-hour call to walk through the method and the tools. Cards are reviewed on GitHub; we show you how, and no coding is involved. After three months we decide together whether to carry on, and you can stop at any time.
An automated reviewer, AI Journalist, checks every draft first and flags problems. It never publishes anything: editors decide.
Who we are looking for
People who read carefully and like checking things against the source: journalism or politics students, fact-checkers, researchers, former civil servants, librarians, retired teachers. It helps to know your way around Hansard, GOV.UK, the OBR or the ONS, but we will teach you.
If you belong to a party
You can belong to a party, or to none. Every editor declares party membership and any political role, and never approves a card about their own party; another editor does. The rule is in our published standard and applies to everyone, including the founder.
What you get
- Credit on the site as an editor, by name or not, as you prefer.
- A reference for your work, and real experience checking public spending and political claims.
- A say in how the standard grows.
The role is unpaid. Public Ledger is independent: no party, campaign or government funds or directs it.
How to apply
Email editors@ledgergov.uk with a few lines about you, why you would like to do it, and any party membership or political role.
Apply by emailWe use what you send only to consider your application, and delete it within 6 months if you do not join. Empatiq Limited runs Public Ledger; see the privacy notice. Questions first? Write to the same address.
Pavel Guzhikov, founder