The Fine Print
How We Rate Stories
Every story in the Tribune carries one of four verdicts. A verdict sums up what the sources cited in that story show. It is not a guess about what might someday come to light.
- Confirmed
- The core of the story is documented in official records, court rulings, government histories or well-sourced reporting cited in the story. Open questions may remain about details.
- Partly True
- Part of the story is documented, but other parts of the popular version are not supported by the cited sources, or key details rest on a single account that has not been independently confirmed.
- Unproven
- The cited sources do not establish the claim. Some cases have no evidence for the claim; others are unsolved mysteries. Unproven does not mean proven false.
- Debunked
- The weight of the cited evidence contradicts the claim. Deliberate parodies, such as Birds Aren't Real, are also rated Debunked and carry a note saying they are satire.
How a verdict is assigned
- Each story is checked against the primary documents and reporting listed under its Documents & Sources.
- Quotes are checked against the source text. Claims we cannot verify are attributed to whoever made them, or left out.
- When the evidence could support two verdicts, we choose the more cautious one.
- Verdicts can change. If new records surface or you spot an error, send us a correction.