How it works
Last updated 12 July 2026
What Matter of Record is
Matter of Record is an index, not a publication. It carries neutral metadata, procedural updates and links only — never original crime narratives, never claims about guilt, and never theories about uncharged people.
Dramatised films, scripted TV dramas, reenactments and novelisations are out of scope — we index factual coverage only: documentaries, docuseries, factual specials, journalism and non-fiction books. Multi-case anthologies, numbered 'true crime stories' volumes and print-on-demand compilations are out of scope — a work must be substantially about one case to be listed.
Where the record comes from
Timeline and official-record entries come from filings, transcripts, rulings and dockets, plus court, prosecutor and police statements — and reporting where no public docket exists. Every entry links to the document it came from, and an entry whose source link goes dead is hidden from the public timeline until it is fixed.
Read the sourcing methodology →
Where coverage comes from
Coverage links point to the publisher, platform or store page for each item. Items reach the catalogue through monitored feeds and searches, and nothing is listed until an editor approves it. We exclude dramatised work, bare-domain and raw media links, and anything we cannot tie to the case it claims to cover. Card descriptions are written by us, never copied from the publisher.
What gets listed and what does not →
What members contribute
Signed-in members can log what they have listened to, watched or read, rate it, and leave a short review of the coverage itself. Member content is never mixed into the record: it is shown in its own container, labelled as a member review, and never appears in a timeline or official-record entry.
When we get it wrong
Every timeline entry and coverage row has its own "Report an error" link, which sends the entry's identifier straight to an editor — you do not have to describe where on the site it was. Reports are read by a human editor, normally within three working days.
Three outcomes are possible: the entry is corrected and carries a dated correction note from then on; it is hidden while we check the source; or it is removed entirely. We will tell you which one happened.