An unverified wire is an assertion transmitted without verifiable named provenance or primary documentation (e.g., a social media post claiming a flight emergency). A single-source confirmed claim has been verified directly by one reputable, identifiable authority (such as an airline spokesperson or emergency dispatcher), but still requires secondary independent backing before establishing broad factual consensus.

When two credible outlets publish conflicting initial narratives (e.g., medical emergency vs. intentional assault), the responsible desk must avoid picking a favored narrative. Instead, publish the existence of the discrepancy transparently: "Authorities report differing accounts regarding cockpit entry circumstances," citing the exact named agency for each stance.

Unnamed official sources carry high investigative utility for directing inquiries, but severe legal and accuracy hazards if published prematurely. Anonymous briefings during early incident phases frequently reflect preliminary field impressions that later undergo substantial revision once official investigators examine voice recorders and flight telemetry.

Every wire claim logged in the corroborator contains a timestamp, source tier, and status state. When a claim is retracted or contradicted, never delete the row; instead, toggle its state to "Retracted / Debunked". Exporting the Markdown or CSV log creates an auditable historical ledger of what the newsroom knew and when each detail was verified.