Gate: Article Publication

What It Replaces

Multi-step editorial review chain: Katie Parrott (AI tells detection) → Eleanor Warnock (first-pass triage) → Kate Lee (final editorial review). Currently takes 2-5 days; Kate reviews every article personally.

Pass Criteria (visible to executing agent)

Tier 1: Automated First Pass (blocking)

  1. Thesis test: Article contains a specific, falsifiable claim or argument stated within the first 3 paragraphs. Not a recap, summary, or roundup.
  2. AI tells check: No formulaic transitions (“Moreover,” “Furthermore,” “In conclusion”), no hedging without substance (“It’s worth noting”), no correlative constructions adding nothing, no vague pronouns (“This approach”), no unsourced claims.
  3. Experience grounding: Contains at least one concrete example from first-hand experience (“I built,” “We tried,” “Here’s what happened”) — not hypothetical or theoretical.
  4. Voice authenticity: Written in first person. Does not contain corporate blog phrases (“We’re excited to announce,” “leverage,” “cutting-edge”). Sounds like a specific author, not a generic publication.
  5. Length and structure: Meets minimum depth for the topic (no thin content). Has a clear beginning (thesis), middle (evidence), and end (implication).

Tier 2: Quality Assessment (advisory, flags for human review)

  1. Learnable value: Reader gains a framework, technique, or insight they can apply. Evaluator asks: “After reading, what can I now DO that I couldn’t before?”
  2. Originality: Not substantially similar to content already published on Every or widely available elsewhere.
  3. Builder credibility: Claims about AI capabilities are grounded in actual demonstrated use, not speculation. If speculative, clearly labeled.

Satisfaction Metric

Target: 90% of articles passing this gate at Tier 1 should also pass Kate’s manual review without significant revisions. If the rate drops below 80%, gate criteria need recalibration.

On Fail

  • Tier 1 failure (criteria 1-5): Return to author with specific feedback on which criteria failed and why. Author revises and resubmits.
  • Tier 2 flags (criteria 6-8): Route to Kate Lee for human review with the flagged criteria highlighted. Kate decides: pass, revise, or reject.
  • Multiple Tier 1 failures on same article: Escalate to Eleanor Warnock (Managing Editor) who triages whether the piece is viable or should be shelved.

Escalation Package

When escalated to Kate Lee, she sees:

  • The full article draft
  • Which specific criteria failed or were flagged
  • The automated assessment with highlighted problem areas
  • Author’s revision history (if resubmission)
  • Suggested edits (if the agent has specific recommendations)

Architecture

  • Type: Sequential, blocking at Tier 1
  • Runs: Before any article enters the publication queue
  • Parallel with: Nothing — this is the single entry gate
  • Kate Lee’s role shift: Quality Architect — designs and evolves pass criteria. Reviews only flagged articles (estimated ~30% of submissions). Retains absolute veto power.
  • Katie Parrott’s role shift: Specification Authority — defines and evolves AI tells detection criteria as models improve. Maintains the detection skill library.

Political Risk

  • Kate Lee (Medium): Reframed as Quality Architect. She designs what “good” looks like at scale rather than reviewing everything personally. Key: she retains veto and reviews all borderline cases.
  • Katie Parrott (Medium): Reframed as Specification Authority. Her judgment is encoded, not replaced. She evolves criteria as AI writing improves.
  • Eleanor Warnock (Low): Benefits from reduced pipeline management burden.