Corroboration Score
78%
5 of 6 timeline events verified
Single-Source Interview Items
2
Requires explicit editorial caveat
Trauma / Sensitive Flags
3
Dart Center standards apply
Span & Depth
18 mos
6 verified chronological anchors
Case: Commonwealth v. Clancy / Medical-Legal Timeline
Investigative Source Matrix & Ethical Compliance Map
Chronological Density & Source Distribution
Click any node to inspect
Dart Center & Legal Pretrial Compliance Matrix
Methodology: High-Profile Tragedy & Psychiatric Legal Reporting
When covering cases involving severe family tragedy, postpartum psychosis, or maternal filicide, journalistic ethics dictate clear demarcation between verified medical records, court testimony, and emotional personal recollections.
- Sole-Survivor Testimony: Interviews with spouses or immediate family members hold high narrative power but constitute Single-Source (Tier 3) evidence until corroborated by medical charts or emergency responder dispatch data.
- Medical Diagnosis vs. Defense Posture: Clearly distinguish documented clinical diagnoses from diagnostic arguments presented by defense or prosecution experts during legal hearings.
- Trauma-Informed Safeguards: Prevent graphic sensationalism around child fatalities; provide crisis help resources in any public coverage.
Corroboration Tiers Defined
- Tier 1 — Official Record: 911 audio recordings, hospital admission toxicology, sworn court affidavits, official police logs.
- Tier 2 — Multi-Source Corroborated: Multiple independent direct witness accounts that concur without shared bias or coordinated coaching.
- Tier 3 — Single-Source Interview: Sole eyewitness statements or retrospective media interviews. Must be clearly attributed in prose ("According to [Name] in an interview with...").
- Tier 4 — Disputed / Inconsistent: Contested claims contradicted by physical evidence, timeline impossibility, or opposing expert testimony.