Why a Multi-Dimensional Framework
Most public bias tools collapse a complex piece of writing into a single label — left, right, true, false, fake, real. That compression destroys the very structure a careful reader needs in order to evaluate the work.
FME takes the opposite approach. It profiles a piece across a set of independent dimensions, each answering a narrow, well-scoped question. The dimensions can disagree with one another, and that disagreement is informative.
What Changed in V19
V19 is a structural overhaul. The user-facing 13 parameters are preserved for backward compatibility, but the engine underneath is a different tool. Three fundamental rewrites:
Single-pass LLM → 4-stage pipeline
The LLM no longer both observes and scores. Stage 1 annotates; Stage 2 runs deterministic math.
Document-level → span-anchored
Every score traces back to character offsets in the source text. No more opaque numbers.
Closed system → external knowledge
Stage 1.5 queries Google Fact Check Tools, Wikidata, and Wikipedia. Stage 1.6 adds real-time cross-platform signals from X, News, and Web to distinguish loaded rhetoric from false claims.
Cross-platform corroboration (Stage 1.6)
Runs parallel to Stage 1.5. Blends real-time signals into the Factual Grounding Index — FGI = Stage1.5 × 70% + cross-platform × 30% when ≥2 independent signals found.
Backward compatible surface
12 of 13 original parameters kept as-is. 1 replaced (emotion triad → Plutchik-8).
The FME Dimensions
Philosophical Frame
The underlying worldview a piece is reasoning from.
Political Inclination
Where the piece sits on the political spectrum based on its rhetorical posture.
Manipulation RiskV19 ↑
How aggressively the text uses persuasion techniques that bypass deliberate thinking.
Fallacy DensityV19 ↑
The concentration of common logical fallacies across the piece.
Evidence ValidityV19 ↑
How well the central claims are anchored in verifiable, attributable evidence.
Emotion ArcV19 NEW
Plutchik-8 emotion vector per paragraph, labeled with a trajectory type.
Intent Transparency
How openly the piece discloses its perspective or agenda.
Source Reliability
An assessment of the cited sources and upstream credibility.
Strategic Silence
Material context or counter-evidence that is conspicuously absent.
Narrative Archetype
The story shape the piece falls into — hero/villain framing, etc.
External GroundingV19 NEW
Claims verified via Fact Check Tools, Wikidata, and Wikipedia (Stage 1.5).
Cross-Platform CorroborationV19.1 NEW
Real-time signals from X, News, and Web corroborate or contradict article claims. Blended into FGI at 30% weight when ≥2 signals found (Stage 1.6).