Indicator reference

Fair Witness tracks two symmetric families of indicators: twelve threat indicators (patterns of democratic erosion, grounded in Paxton, Levitsky & Ziblatt, Mayer, and Snyder) and ten health indicators (institutions visibly doing their jobs). Health gets equal weight — resilience is news too.

Every indicator's current reading is Unknown: no indicator has a published level yet, and none will until scoring clears the calibration gate. This page defines what each indicator means, not what it currently says.

Threat indicators

Code	Name	What it tracks	Current reading
C1	Emergency Powers Abuse	Declaring national emergencies, states of exception, or invoking emergency powers to bypass normal legislative and judicial oversight.	Unknown
C2	Politicized Justice	Using the Department of Justice, prosecutors, or courts as political weapons against opponents, critics, or independent institutions.	Unknown
C3	Watchdog Purges	Removing inspectors general, firing independent agency heads, or eliminating oversight positions.	Unknown
C4	Electoral Manipulation	Actions to undermine fair elections: voter suppression, gerrymandering, attacking election officials, or refusing to accept results.	Unknown
C5	Press Pressure	Threatening, investigating, prosecuting, or revoking credentials of journalists. Using allies to target press.	Unknown
C6	Violence Enabling	Pardoning political violence, encouraging vigilantism, or legitimizing use of force against political opponents.	Unknown
C7	Enemy Definition Expansion	Expanding categories of 'enemies': labeling journalists as enemies, critics as traitors, or immigrants as invaders.	Unknown
C8	Surveillance Expansion	Expanding domestic surveillance, monitoring protesters, or using intelligence agencies against political opponents.	Unknown
C9	Out-Group Repression	Targeting minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, or other marginalized groups through policy or rhetoric.	Unknown
C10	Elite Normalization	Business leaders, wealthy donors, or cultural elites accepting or facilitating authoritarian behavior.	Unknown
C11	Legislative Capture	Legislature refusing oversight, rubber-stamping executive actions, or attacking legislative independence.	Unknown
C12	Executive Overreach	Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, ignore court orders, or claim powers not granted.	Unknown

Health indicators

Code	Name	Institution	What it tracks	Current reading
H1	Judicial Independence	Judiciary	Courts ruling against executive overreach, protecting constitutional rights, or maintaining independence from political pressure.	Unknown
H2	Oversight Function	Oversight Bodies	Inspectors general, GAO, or other oversight bodies investigating misconduct and publishing findings.	Unknown
H3	Legislative Checks	Congress	Congress conducting oversight hearings, subpoenaing witnesses, or passing legislation to limit executive overreach.	Unknown
H4	Press Freedom	Press	Investigative journalism exposing misconduct, press access maintained, or legal protections for journalists upheld.	Unknown
H5	Civil Society Strength	Civil Society	NGOs, advocacy groups, and civil society organizations effectively challenging government overreach.	Unknown
H6	Federalism Defense	States	States pushing back on federal overreach, using state powers to protect residents, or filing lawsuits.	Unknown
H7	Rule Compliance	Executive	Executive branch officials complying with court orders, following established procedures, or refusing unlawful orders.	Unknown
H8	Accountability Outcomes	Multiple	Officials facing consequences for misconduct: resignations, prosecutions, electoral losses, or censure.	Unknown
H9	Electoral Integrity	Election Systems	Elections conducted fairly, results accepted, and election infrastructure protected.	Unknown
H10	International Solidarity	International	International institutions, allies, or foreign governments applying pressure or providing support for democratic norms.	Unknown

Codes (C1–C12, H1–H10) exist for internal bookkeeping; readouts on this site use the human-readable names above. If you ever see a bare code without a name, that is a bug — report it.