About JW Files

JW Files is an independent news and primary-source research service covering the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society and Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.

The site carries on the work of the original JW Files, an archive that documented the organization from 1999 to 2016. This successor is a working newsroom: it reports developments as they happen — court rulings, regulatory actions, doctrinal changes, and media coverage — and grounds the history behind them in the organization's own publications, shown wherever possible as scanned page images.

Neutral news, clearly-labeled opinion

Our news reporting is written to a strict standard of neutrality. We describe what is documented, attribute every contested claim, and let sources speak. Where we offer a point of view, it appears only in pieces plainly marked Opinion and kept in a separate lane from the news. A reader should never have to guess which is which.

How we work

Every article is fact-checked against primary and mainstream secondary sources before publication and reviewed for neutrality. Our full methodology — sourcing, credibility tiers, our policy on naming people, and how we handle AI-assisted drafting — is set out in our Editorial Standards.

Independence

JW Files is independent and self-funded. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, or any of their legal entities. It is equally independent of any single critic, activist, or former-member group.

Read our Editorial Standards →
See the Corrections log →
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