About the files
Some rumors turned out to be true. Others never will. Rumor & Record tells the stories behind the theories people can't stop talking about, lays out what each side argues, and leaves the verdict to you.
Why this exists
Most of what's online about these stories either sells the theory or mocks it. Neither helps if you just want to know what happened, why people believe it, and why other people don't. Some theories, like the CIA's MKUltra experiments, were dismissed for years before documents proved them. Others have been examined for decades without anything turning up. We think you can tell the difference if someone gives you the whole file.
How a file works
- The story. Each file starts with what happened, told in order, with a source for every fact.
- The evidence. Photos, documents, maps and timelines from the record, so you can examine them yourself.
- Both statements. The strongest case believers make and the strongest case skeptics make, at the same length, side by side.
- Your finding. A poll where you say where you land. We never add a verdict of our own.
- The record. Key facts, common questions and every source we used, at the bottom of the file.
Meet the two voices
Each side's case is presented by a recurring character. They're written for this site and aren't real people. We use them so the site itself never has to take a side, and so you always know which side you're hearing.
Hosted an overnight radio show about the unexplained for 20 years. Now he goes to the places in the files. "Ask the question they won't."
Spent ten years as an insurance fraud investigator. Now she reads the original records so you don't have to. "Show me the paperwork."
Rex and June's backstories are invented. Their arguments aren't: everything they say is drawn from the sources listed in each file.
Our standards
- Sources first. We link to the original source whenever we can: court records, government documents, the study itself, the first report. We use encyclopedias and summaries only as a last resort.
- Equal strength, not equal length alone. Each side gets its best argument, not a weak version that's easy to knock down.
- Facts are facts. Where the record is settled, like a date, a court ruling or a measurement, we state it plainly. What we don't do is tell you what it all means.
- Real people are treated fairly. We describe what public figures said and did, using their own words where it matters.
What we don't cover
Some theories can cause real harm when they spread, so we leave them out entirely, however popular they are:
- Health and medical theories, such as those about vaccines or treatments.
- Theories about elections and voting.
- Theories that target people for their religion, ethnicity or any other group they belong to.
- Theories that accuse private individuals.
Corrections
If we got something wrong, tell us. Email files@rumorandrecord.com with the file, the claim and a source. We review every report, fix errors, and note significant corrections at the bottom of the file with the date.
Who runs this
Rumor & Record is an independent site run by Smile Space LLC. It's supported by ads, and no advertiser has any say over what we write or which theories we cover.