Report the development. Show the record. Keep the unknowns visible.

Measured Unknown reports contested subjects with curiosity and restraint. The aim is to bring important developments into view without making the evidence say more than it does.

Accuracy and attribution

Names, dates, quotations, documents and material factual statements should be checked against the strongest available source. Readers should be able to tell who knows what, how they know it and where the information came from.

Facts and claims are different

Someone saying that an event occurred establishes that the statement was made. It does not establish the underlying allegation. Verified facts, attributed claims, unresolved questions and editorial analysis are kept distinct.

Headlines must represent the evidence

A headline should be interesting because the development is interesting, not because uncertainty has been removed. It must not turn an investigation into a confirmation, a reported sighting into an identified object or an allegation into an established fact.

Source status is not a silence switch

Discussion forums, independent researchers and specialist outlets can surface an important development before established organisations cover it. Their limitations affect attribution, verification and language; they do not automatically make the story unreportable.

Anonymous and confidential sources

An unnamed source should be used only when the information is newsworthy, the source is in a position to know it and there is a sound reason not to identify them. The article should explain the basis for anonymity without exposing the source. Unsupported anonymous allegations require particular caution.

Fairness, allegations and right of reply

Serious allegations are attributed and presented with relevant context. Where practical, a person or organisation facing a material allegation should have a fair opportunity to respond before publication. A refusal or failure to respond is not evidence that the allegation is true.

Independence and conflicts

Editorial conclusions must not be set by advertisers, sponsors, source relationships or commercial interests. A material conflict that could reasonably affect a reader’s assessment of the work should be disclosed.

Analysis and opinion are labelled

Interpretation may be valuable, but it must not be disguised as straight reporting. Analysis identifies the evidence on which its judgement rests. Opinion is labelled and does not receive a factual exemption.

Images require context

Illustrations and editorial graphics are labelled and captioned. Reconstructed or representative imagery must not be presented as documentary evidence. Images should add information or context, not manufacture drama.

Corrections are part of the record

Material factual errors are corrected promptly and transparently. New information is shown as an update rather than silently used to rewrite the history of the article.