Verification · published method
How we check before we publish
Every item on Pulse Vault Wave passes through a documented verification sequence before it enters a wave. We publish our method so readers can hold us to it. This is not a promise of perfection — it is a promise of process.
Transparency about method matters because municipal news affects daily decisions — which bus stop to use, whether a void-deck meeting still runs, when a park path closes. Readers deserve to know what we verified and what we chose not to publish for lack of attributable source.
Definition
What verification means here
Verification means an item’s key claims are matched to a named primary source — an official document, a public notice, or an on-record statement — before publication. Secondary sources may provide context but cannot alone support a factual claim. Anonymous tips are investigated but not published without attributable confirmation.
We distinguish between “confirmed” and “reported” in internal proofs. Confirmed means matched to primary source. Reported means attributed to a named speaker but not independently document-verified. Only confirmed items enter standard desk filing; reported items require section-editor approval and explicit labelling.
Stepped list
The checking sequence
- 01
Source identification
The desk editor names the primary source and logs its reference number — a town council minute, an LTA advisory code, an MOE release ID. Items without an identifiable primary source are held, not published.
- 02
Document match
Key facts in the draft — dates, times, locations, names of agencies — are matched line by line against the primary source. Mismatches trigger a rewrite or a hold. Screenshots of source documents are archived internally with the proof.
- 03
Quote verification
Direct quotes are checked against interview notes or written statements. Paraphrases are labelled as such. We do not construct quotes from partial notes or memory.
- 04
Cross-desk review
Items touching more than one beat are routed to the secondary desk for co-signature. A road closure near a school gate, for example, requires both Transport and Schools desk approval.
- 05
Section editor sign-off
The section editor reviews the proof, source list, and index card draft. Sign-off is logged with timestamp. Only then may the item enter a wave.
Detail
When we get it wrong
Errors reported to [email protected] are logged immediately. A desk editor verifies the report against source documents. Confirmed errors receive a fix notice within four hours, linked permanently to the original back-issue entry. We do not silently edit published text.
Readers may also post questions via the Reader Questions page — we answer checking-policy queries there on a weekly cycle.
Repeated errors on the same desk trigger an internal review logged in the corrections register. Findings are summarised in our annual method note, published on this page each January.
We also maintain a held-items log for stories awaiting primary source confirmation. Held items are not mentioned obliquely in published copy. If you see a gap in coverage, it may reflect a hold rather than oversight — write to us if you hold a relevant document.
Close
Source document access
Where primary sources are public records, we link to the issuing agency page in the published item. Where sources are correspondence obtained on record, we describe the document type and date without reproducing private contact details. Internal proof archives retain full references for twelve months.
Photographs published with desk items are captioned with date, time, and location. We do not use stock imagery to illustrate municipal stories. If a photograph accompanies an item, an editor stood at that location on that date.
Held items exceeding five business days without resolution are reviewed by the section editor, who either releases with documented partial verification, publishes a context note explaining the hold, or closes the item with a public note that verification could not be completed.
External researchers may request a redacted sample proof to understand our annotation format. Requests are evaluated case by case and never include private correspondence or unpublished source material.
Verification standards apply equally to photographs, data tables, and quoted speech. No format bypasses the checking sequence.
Method published · outcomes checked · errors corrected in the open.
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