Frequently Asked Questions

What is Best-Edit?

An editorial assistant built for journalists, freelancers and newsrooms. It gives every draft the read a desk editor would, to journalism standards: the lede, the structure, the attribution, the unsupported claims. On request it checks the draft against the material you supplied and quotes the source line for every claim it can support.

How is Best-Edit different from other editing tools?

Grammar checkers treat reporting like email. Best-Edit works to a written newsroom standard: no invented facts or quotes, attribution and fairness rules, structure by story type. It flags what needs reporting instead of guessing, and it checks quotes and claims against your own material.

Who uses Best-Edit?

Solo journalists, freelance writers, small newsrooms, and communications professionals who publish news.

Is Best-Edit only for professional journalists?

No. It is built to journalism standards, and anyone who wants clearer, better-sourced writing can use it, including bloggers, public-affairs staff and students.

Do I need journalism training to use Best-Edit?

No. Paste a draft and it does the first read with no prompt to write. Every flag says what the draft said, what the source said, and what to do about it, so you learn the standard as you go.

How do I use Best-Edit?

Paste or upload your draft, or dictate it. Best-Edit reads it for clarity, structure, tone and journalism standards and returns a rewrite with the flags that need your attention. Ask editorial questions in the same conversation. When you want the fuller look, press Check facts.

How do I catch errors in my own writing?

Best-Edit is the fresh set of eyes: awkward phrasing, unclear attribution, a buried lede, the logical hole in graf five. Add your notes or documents to the conversation and Check facts lists every claim it can support, with the source line quoted, and every claim it cannot.

What's the fastest way to check if my article is ready to publish?

Ask: "Is this story ready for publication?" You get an honest assessment of what works and what still needs attention. Then press Check facts for the claim-by-claim report against your material.

What if Best-Edit makes a suggestion I disagree with?

You are always in control. Best-Edit offers suggestions, not commands, and Check facts labels without changing a word. Accept what improves the story and leave the rest.

How is Best-Edit different from a grammar checker?

A grammar checker checks grammar, clarity and tone and explains each suggestion; it does not know what a lede is or whether a claim is sourced. Best-Edit reads the story: structure, attribution, quote handling and the claims your material does not support, with the source line quoted for the ones it does.

How is Best-Edit different from a general-purpose chat assistant?

A general assistant edits to whatever you ask, so every reporter gets a different standard and the same prompt gives a different answer next month. Best-Edit applies one written newsroom standard to every draft with nothing to prompt, checks the draft against only the material you supplied, never the open web, and labels every claim supported, unsupported or not found.

How is Best-Edit different from a newsroom writing platform with style guides and fact-check reports?

Those platforms build a voice from your samples and check facts against your research and the web together. Best-Edit checks against your material alone, checks quotes against the transcript or document they came from, and puts the read in the same conversation as the draft. What we do not have yet: a style sheet you upload once that governs every story.

How is Best-Edit different from a tool that turns finished stories into headlines, summaries, newsletters and social posts?

Repurposing tools start after the story is done and check nothing in it. Best-Edit starts before: the read, the check against your sources and the quote check happen while the story is still a draft. Newsletter and social distribution are add-ons with the same check built in.

How is Best-Edit different from an all-in-one publishing system with editing built in?

An all-in-one system asks you to move your site, archive and paywall onto it. Best-Edit works beside the site you already run and publishes to it: WordPress or Newspack, drafts to Arc XP, or a connection we build to your system. Nothing to migrate, and you can leave with your drafts.

How is Best-Edit different from a stylebook proofer?

A stylebook proofer enforces usage and spelling against a licensed style dictionary, and does it well. Best-Edit works to a newsroom standard for structure, attribution, fairness and unsupported claims, and checks the draft against your sources. If your problem is usage at scale in several languages, a proofer is the copy desk's tool; if it is whether the story holds up, that is ours.

How do small newsrooms maintain quality with limited staff?

Best-Edit is the always-available editor: every draft gets the same read whether it is filed at 9 a.m. or 11 p.m., and every claim can be checked against the reporter's own material before it publishes. Standards hold without adding headcount.

Can multiple people use Best-Edit in our newsroom?

Yes. A team owner invites members by email and manages seats from one dashboard. Everyone on the team works to the same standard. Contact us about team plans.

Is Best-Edit suitable for newsrooms?

Yes. It was built inside one. Every newsroom account gets the editing chat, Check facts, audio recording transcription, the FOIA Hub and publishing to your WordPress or Newspack site or drafts to Arc XP, with other systems connected on request. A checked newsletter build, social distribution, print layout and a Slack connection are switched on for the newsroom on request.

What file formats does Best-Edit support?

For editing, paste the text or upload the document. For transcription, drop in the recording or the meeting link.

Does Best-Edit support voice input?

Yes. Dictate straight into the editor from the microphone in the composer; the words land in your draft, ready to send or edit.

Does Best-Edit work offline?

No. It needs an internet connection.

Is Best-Edit secure for sensitive journalism?

Your documents are not used to train models. Files you attach are read for that conversation and cleared within hours; your drafts and conversations stay in your team's workspace so you can reopen them. Publishing credentials you connect are stored encrypted. Ask us for a written security summary before you buy.

Does Best-Edit work for broadcast journalism scripts?

Yes. Ask for the radio or TV read and it adapts the edit: reading time, conversational tone, script structure.

Can Best-Edit handle investigative journalism or just daily news?

All of it, from a breaking brief to a long investigative piece. The standard adapts by story type, and Check facts works the same way on a 300-word brief and a 6,000-word investigation.

How much does Best-Edit cost?

Contact us for pricing. We'll walk you through the options and find the right fit for your newsroom.

Can I try Best-Edit before committing?

Yes, seven days free.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. No cancellation fee. Access continues to the end of the billing period.

What if I only need editing occasionally?

The subscription is monthly and there is no per-story limit. Use it every day or once a week.

What's included in the subscription?

The editorial chat with Check facts and quotes checked on every reply, audio recording transcription, the FOIA Hub, publishing to your WordPress or Newspack site or drafts to Arc XP, with other systems connected on request, voice dictation, Copy Desk and export. The checked newsletter build, social distribution, print layout and Slack are switched on per newsroom on request.

Can Best-Edit fact-check my articles?

It checks the draft against what you gave it. Press Check facts and every claim comes back supported, with the source line quoted, unsupported, or could not be anchored. It reads only your material, not the open web, and it labels rather than blocks. Verifying against the world is still the reporter's job.

Will using an editing tool hurt my credibility as a journalist?

No. You remain the journalist. Best-Edit does the first read and shows its source for every claim it supports; the judgment and the byline are yours.

Does Best-Edit replace human editors?

No. It does the first read, the routine cleanup and the check against your sources so a human editor spends time on the decisions. Every publish is a person's decision.

What editorial standards does Best-Edit use?

A written newsroom standard built on the principles taught in journalism schools and practiced in working newsrooms: clarity, accuracy, attribution, fairness, story structure and concise prose. It never invents a fact, a name, a number or a quote, and it flags what it cannot support.

How does Best-Edit teach me to become a better writer?

Every flag comes with the reason: what the draft said, what the source said, and the fix. You learn the standard, not just the correction, and carry it to the next story.