Welcome to Truth vs Narrative: Beyond the Headline

A headline can tell you what happened. Understanding a story takes more: the underlying evidence, the process that produced the outcome, and the context that changes what it means.

Truth vs Narrative is an independent publication founded by Kevin Carlson to make those layers easier to examine. We cover public policy, accountability, economics, foreign affairs, and the habits that help people evaluate information for themselves.

Our starting point is simple: Process before politics.

We ask what a claim is based on, what the available evidence actually establishes, and what remains unanswered. A government statement tells us what officials are claiming. A document may establish a narrower fact. Commentary explains someone's interpretation. Those distinctions matter.

TVN has a point of view. We question concentrated power, institutional incentives, and media framing. That skepticism also applies to claims we would like to believe. Agreement doesn't remove the need to check.

Beyond the Headline brings together source-grounded analysis, practical media literacy, and accessible civic explanations. The goal is to give readers enough context to challenge the argument, check the record, and reach their own conclusions.

Start with the evidence. Follow the process. Keep asking better questions.

A modern printing press, photographed in 2014. How a claim is distributed is separate from the evidence supporting it. Photo: André Robillard. Image source and usage rights. CC0. Image unmodified.