Require Transparency for Advocacy Indexes

Advocacy groups increasingly publish composite 'strength' or 'freedom' scores that journalists and lawmakers cite as evidence. If the data, scoring rubrics, and state‑level components aren’t public and reproducible, these indexes function as black‑box propaganda rather than evidence. Policymakers and media should require open data and methods or treat such scores as non‑credible. — Setting transparency standards for NGO indices would improve the quality of policy arguments across guns, education, health, and democracy where such rankings steer public opinion and legislation.