Grading Rubrics

Every article on NewzGrade starts with a provisional grade from NewzGrade AI. The AI reads the article, scores it on five criteria, and combines them into a single NewzGrade. The moment a real reader grades the story, the community grade replaces the AI's. Here's exactly how the AI weighs a grade.

THE FIVE CRITERIA & THEIR WEIGHTS

Each criterion is scored from 0 to 100 and carries equal weight. The final NewzGrade is simply the average of the five scores — so each criterion is worth 20%.

20%

WEIGHT

Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar

The mechanics of the writing — typos, punctuation and sentence construction. Judged the same way across every article type.

20%

WEIGHT

Coherence & Clarity

Logical flow and readability. For opinion and review pieces this reflects the clarity and strength of the argument or verdict.

20%

WEIGHT

Objectivity

Whether the piece is fair and unbiased — but judged differently by article type (see below). An opinion is never penalized for having a viewpoint; only its supporting facts are checked.

20%

WEIGHT

Sourcing & Attribution

Whether claims are backed by credible sources and quotes are properly attributed. For a rumor, whether the origin of the rumor is attributed.

20%

WEIGHT

Concision

No fluff or padding — every sentence should earn its place.

NewzGrade =( SPAG + Coherence + Objectivity + Sourcing + Concision )÷ 5

THE ARTICLE TYPE CHANGES THE RUBRIC

Before grading, NewzGrade AI classifies each article as one of the five types below and tags it accordingly. The five criteria stay the same, but how they're judged shifts to match the kind of writing — most notably Objectivity.

NEWZNews

Graded the most strictly, against professional journalistic standards. Objectivity here means unbiased, balanced reporting.

OPINIONZOpinion

An opinion is not objective by definition, so the writer is never marked down for holding a view. Objectivity instead measures whether the facts used to support the argument are accurate and fairly presented.

INTERVIEWZInterview

Judged on interview writing standards: a neutral interviewer, faithful representation of the interviewee's answers, and properly attributed quotes.

REVIEWZReview

The reviewer's taste is expected. Objectivity measures whether the factual descriptions are accurate and the critique is fair — not the opinion itself.

RUMORZRumor

Unverified by nature. Graded on how clearly it separates speculation from fact, avoids sensationalizing, and attributes where the rumor came from.

SATIREZSatire

Graded in comedy mode — never fact-checked. The five criteria measure the craft of the joke (see the Satire section below). Each satire piece is filed under its real subject category and flagged with the SATIRE badge.

😂 SATIRE IS GRADED FOR COMEDY, NOT JOURNALISM

Articles in the Satire section come from spoof publishers like The Onion and The Babylon Bee. They're deliberately fake — so NewzGrade AI switches to comedy mode: it never fact-checks them and never docks them for being untrue. Instead it grades the craft of the joke on the very same five criteria, using the normal A–F spread — sharp, clever satire scores high, while lazy, muddled or unfunny writing scores low.

20%

WEIGHT

SPAG → Polish

Clean, sharp writing so a stray typo never trips up the punchline.

20%

WEIGHT

Coherence → Setup & payoff

A clear comedic premise that builds to a punchline that actually lands.

20%

WEIGHT

Objectivity → Deadpan commitment

The best satire is played straight-faced, like real reporting. This rewards a consistent dead-pan news voice — it is NOT a truth check.

20%

WEIGHT

Sourcing → Fake quotes & experts

How well the invented sources, stats and “expert” quotes serve the bit — comedic world-building, not real attribution.

20%

WEIGHT

Concision → Comedic timing

Tight and punchy, with no padding — every sentence earns its laugh.

The written grade note on a satire article is a playful, tongue-in-cheek one-liner that leans into the joke — never a correction. Satire grades also power the weekly “NewzGrade AI's Satire Pick of the Week” spotlight.

FROM SCORE TO LETTER GRADE

The averaged 0–100 score maps to a familiar letter grade:

A+97 – 100

A93 – 96

A-90 – 92

B+87 – 89

B83 – 86

B-80 – 82

C+77 – 79

C73 – 76

C-70 – 72

D+67 – 69

D63 – 66

D-60 – 62

Fbelow 60

NewzGrade AI's grade is only a starting point. Readers can grade any article themselves on the same five criteria — and once the community weighs in, their grade is what everyone sees.