Toggle Daily · Methodology

Reported, contested, developing

Every event in the day's report carries one of three labels. The label is computed from the information reported about the event, using the process described in How a day's report is built.

Reported: The event's core facts are corroborated. Independent outlets carry the same information.
Contested: Coverage differs in a way that could leave a reader with the wrong conclusion. That includes outlets disagreeing outright on a key claim, and wording that differs across sources in ways that change what a reader would take away, a common tactic in modern coverage. A wording difference that means the same thing is not contested.
Developing: There is not enough independent coverage to classify the event either way, because the event is recent or because most of the coverage traces back to a single account.

How the label is assigned

The comparison is made piece by piece, and the label reflects the balance across all of an event's information. An event can contain a corroborated fact and a disputed number at the same time. This is why two events of similar prominence can carry different labels on the same day, and why one event can carry different labels on different days as more coverage is published.

An event can hold each of the three labels over its lifetime. In a common sequence, the event starts as developing, becomes reported when outlets converge on the same facts, and moves to contested if a later account disputes an earlier figure.

Example

Consider coverage of a drone attack. NPR reports 8 people killed and more than 60 wounded. Al Jazeera and CNN carry the same figures. Three outlets with one figure and no disagreement would place the casualty toll in the reported share.

Kyiv Post then disputes the toll. The published coverage does not include Kyiv Post's alternative figure, only the fact that the number is disputed.

The disagreement places the event under the contested label. Toggle does not judge which outlet is correct. The label records that the published coverage contains a disagreement about a specific number. The label stays contested until the coverage shows one figure holding across outlets, or until the alternative figure is published in a form that can be compared with the rest.