Best-Edit CIVIC

Frequently Asked Questions.

About Best-Edit CIVIC

What is Best-Edit CIVIC?
A communications platform for government, nonprofit and public-affairs offices. It reviews releases, statements and notices the way the editor who receives them would, checks a draft against the documents you supply, transcribes audio recordings, drafts public-records requests, and publishes to your site. People make every decision; it does the production work.
What does CIVIC actually do?
It gives every draft a sectioned review (headline, lede, messaging, structure, quotes, risk, next steps) with reasons. On request it checks the draft against your attached documents and reports what is supported and what is not. It transcribes audio recordings with speaker labels. It drafts statute-cited public-records letters for any U.S. jurisdiction. It sends to WordPress or Newspack as a draft or a live post, or to Arc XP as a draft. Other systems are connected on request. Distribution tools can be switched on for your team.
How does CIVIC help with production and billable hours?
A release that used to take two hours of back-and-forth gets a full read in under a minute, and the check against the staff report takes one click. Your team produces more without adding headcount.
Does CIVIC replace my communications staff?
No. It does the first read, the check and the formatting so your people spend their time on strategy, relationships and judgment. Think of it as a senior editor on call.
Who uses CIVIC?
City and county communications offices, state agency public affairs teams, nonprofit communications directors, school district PR staff, public health communicators, transit and utility authorities, and PR firms managing government accounts.

The review

What standard does the review use?
The read a veteran press secretary gives, every time, without a prompt from you: nothing invented, your quotes untouched, suggested language marked for your approval, anything that could become a story flagged first, and the release structured so a reporter can lift it.
Does CIVIC rewrite my documents for me?
Only if you ask. By default it reviews and explains. Ask for a rewrite of a section, a tighter lede, a different tone, or the same release cut for a weekly, a daily and a broadcast read.
Will CIVIC make my writing sound robotic?
The opposite. It removes bureaucratic jargon and unclear language so your natural voice comes through.
What is Check facts?
A button under any draft. It compares the draft with the material you attached in that conversation and lists every claim as supported (with the source line quoted), unsupported, or could not be anchored. It is advisory: it labels, it does not change your text, and it reads only what you gave it, not the open web.

Records and risk

What does the records-risk read catch?
Language that will not survive a public-records request or a reporter's follow-up: references to internal deliberations, personal phone numbers and home addresses, partisan framing, unverified superlatives, and admissions you did not mean to make. Each is quoted with the reason and a fix.
Does CIVIC check reading level?
The review flags jargon, passive voice and overlong sentences and rewrites them in plain language. It does not display a numeric grade level today.
What is the FOIA Hub?
A public-records request generator. Pick the agency, jurisdiction and letter type (twelve, from general records to body-camera footage and meeting minutes), describe the records and the date range, and it drafts a letter that cites the right statute, response deadline and fee-waiver provision, saved with your agency contacts. Included with CIVIC.
Is my content secure?
Files you attach are read for that review and cleared within hours. Your drafts stay in your workspace so you can reopen them. Site credentials are encrypted. Your content is never used to train models.

Transcription

What can I transcribe?
Any recording or a YouTube or Vimeo link: council meetings, press conferences, interviews, hearings, hours long if need be. Included with CIVIC.
How does speaker identification work?
Every speaker gets a label. Click one, type the mayor's name, and it updates throughout the transcript.
What export formats are available?
Plain text, subtitles, or a Word document.
Can I edit a transcript after it is created?
Yes: rename speakers, or send it to the review. It cleans up the transcript, finds the stories in it, drafts from it with the quotes traced back to the transcript, turns minutes into a summary, or pulls the action items.
What is the difference between Clean and Verbatim?
Clean removes filler words and false starts. Verbatim keeps every word, for legal records.

Publishing

How does WordPress publishing work?
Once your team owner connects your site on the Team page, the Publish button appears on every draft: set the title, choose Draft or Publish, add categories, and go. You get a link to the post.
What credentials do I need?
Your site URL, your WordPress username, and an Application Password generated in WordPress under Users > Profile > Application Passwords. Not your login password.
Are my WordPress credentials secure?
Yes. Encrypted, and never shown again after you save them.
Can I save posts as drafts instead of publishing immediately?
Yes. Most teams publish as Draft and let the web team do the final review in WordPress.
What if we are not on WordPress?
Newspack is supported, Arc XP receives drafts, and we build connections to other systems on request. Tell us what you run.

Teams

How do teams work?
A team owner creates the team, invites members by email, and manages the shared subscription and the connected WordPress or Newspack site, or an Arc XP draft destination. Other systems are connected on request. Everyone on the team works to the same standard.
Can I invite my whole department?
Yes, up to your plan's seat count. Invitations go by email; pending invitations can be resent or cancelled.
Who controls feature access?
An administrator switches the add-on tools on per team. Team owners manage membership and site credentials.

Pricing and getting started

How much does CIVIC cost?
Contact us for pricing. CIVIC includes the editorial review, Check facts, audio recording transcription, the FOIA Hub, WordPress and Newspack publishing, Arc XP drafts, other systems on request, exports and team management; distribution tools are switched on per team.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, seven days.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Access continues to the end of the billing period.
What file formats can I upload?
For review: PDFs, Word and Excel files, text files and web pages. For transcription: audio and video recordings.
Does CIVIC work offline?
No. It needs an internet connection.

Add-ons

What is BuzzWire?
Social distribution: turn a release into posts for each platform, schedule them, and track engagement. Switched on per team.
Is there a Slack integration?
Yes, switched on per team: send a draft from Slack and get the edited version back.
What about newsletter and layout tools?
Newsletter and print-layout tools can be switched on for a team on request.
How do I get access to the add-ons?
Contact us and we switch them on for your team.