What the statuses mean
Every claim in every story carries one of six statuses. Each is a statement about corroboration — who reported it and whether anyone contradicted it — and not a judgement about whether the world is that way. That distinction is the whole point of the ledger.
- Confirmed
Means: Two or more outlets in this story independently reported it, and none contradicted it.
Does not mean: Not that we verified it ourselves. We have no reporters. It means several outlets said the same thing and we can show you which.
- Likely
Means: One outlet reported it and nothing contradicts it.
Does not mean: Not doubt about the outlet. It is a statement about corroboration: one report is one report.
- Unverified
Means: No outlet in this story addressed it directly. Often it was inferred while explaining, and the page says so under the claim.
Does not mean: Not that it is false, and not that it is suspicious. It means nobody we read has stood it up.
- Disputed
Means: Outlets in this story contradict each other on it. Both sides are named.
Does not mean: Not a verdict. It is the most useful thing we can tell you: the reporting does not agree.
- False
Means: An editor checked it and found it contradicted by the record. The story is withdrawn and the claim goes to fact checks.
Does not mean: Never assigned automatically. A person makes this one.
- Outdated
Means: It was true and has been overtaken by events.
Does not mean: Not a correction. The claim was right when written.
Why a status is never just colour
Each status carries a shape as well as a colour, everywhere it appears. A reader who cannot distinguish the colours still gets the whole meaning, and a screenshot that loses colour keeps it too.
Statuses change
A claim can move. When one does on a story you saved, you are told — see your desk. When a claim is refuted, the story leaves the front page and the finding is listed on fact checks, which outlives the story itself.