Evidence states, not certainty scores

Count independent evidence#

One publisher can distribute a story through several channels. Those channels should not corroborate one another simply because they use different URLs. WOUT’s event model tracks independent source groups alongside the number of observations.

A useful analysis therefore separates report volume, event count, and independent source count. None of those numbers alone is a probability that a claim is true.

Read the state before the headline#

The intelligence pipeline uses the following states. The analysis page displays the state attached to each public signal rather than converting all published signals into confirmed facts.

Reported

A claim exists; independent corroboration may be insufficient.

Corroborated

The configured independent sources or people describe the event.

Confirmed

An editor or a source authorized for the category has confirmed it.

Disputed

Contradictory evidence or community disputes meet the relevant rule.

Resolved

A later report or enough responses indicates the condition ended.

Stale

The freshness window elapsed; the event leaves current views.

Publication has its own policy#

The system supports editorial review and narrowly defined source publication rules. Certain fresh, explicit security reports from approved sources can be published as Reported without prior editor confirmation. Their source and evidence state still matter.

The existence of an automated publication path must not be described as human verification of every item. Sensitive claims need the applicable policy, and editorial interventions remain auditable.