Is Examiner.com a "Credible" Source?

When I first started to see links posted here to articles on Examiner.com, it seemed to be a news website to me. I thought it was some kind of online collaboration of journalists from various newspapers around the country... or something along those lines.

I now know it is not, but I see there are others who are under the same misconception I was. I've read a couple of posts referring to Examiner.com possibly "losing credibility" for one thing or another, when it probably should have had none to begin with.

My reasoning? I applied, was approved, and have posted a couple articles there. I have no education or credentials and I did not mislead them to believe that I do. It is easy to go through their application process. After your first article is approved and added to the site, you can post articles without any sort of screening by the administration.

"Examiners" get paid based on traffic to the articles they post on the site. They can also get $50 for each new writer they recruit and this is highly encouraged.

I've uploaded a couple screenshots of emails from the website about their "holiday referral contest". They look wider than the posting area though, and I don't know how to make the scrollbar work on images, so I'll just link them.

ATS Media - Examiner Referrals

ATS Media - Twitter & Examiner Referrals

I'm not saying that none of the writers on Examiner.com are "credible". Certainly, there are some who are well-educated and knowledgeable about their subject, you have to determine for yourself whether or not to trust each Examiner as a source.

Don't think of Examiner.com as the "source". Examiner.com is a platform for writers and they are not incredibly selective. My advice is to take anything posted on Examiner.com as equal to a blog unless you know about the writer.

(I'm not trying to refer anyone from this thread. You need to know my name or Examiner title for that and I have not offered it, so I can make no money from anyone who applies to see how easy it is.)

I was just wondering about the recent articles posted here..

Thanks for the heads up. I've been wondering if they were a serious news site or not... how much editorial control do they have over the articles? Do they let all the articles just on and just not care?

Don't fall into the mindspace of wondering whether a source is "credible". Listen to everything, and take it all as a story. The more stories you read, the more the truth will stand out.

reply to post by Frankidealist35

I think they probably reserve the right to remove articles and revoke membership etc., if they receive complaints or something, but the management does not seem to read, edit, or fact-check articles individually unless they're alerted about something specific.

If I can find their T&C, I'll post the specifics for you.

reply to post by NuclearPaul

I agree. Personally, I tend to think "credibility" only comes from being indoctrinated into this system. Others don't see things the way I do however, and since I've read posts questioning the "credibility" of the website, I thought I should share my experience.

Thanks for reading and contributing!

There is one writer, that I am aware of that I fully trust 100%. Although he only started writing for the examiner about 3 months ago, I have been following his writings since '06. His name is Leonard Henderson. He writes for them as a way to expose the truth of the corruption of CPS and in the foster care system and the abuse of children that takes place there.

As far as other writers I can't be sure.

reply to post by calstorm


Exactly you have to go by each individual writer.

None of the writers share any actual agenda. They each have their own goals and opinions.

So you have to judge Examiners one at a time, as all of them are totally different.