Source Ladder
14:00 · Tyrwhitt Road · Singapore
Five rungs, no shortcuts
01 · First read
Every filing starts with a primary source on the record or a published document. Wire copy is tagged with receipt time and desk initials.
02 · Second source
A second independent source confirms the shape of the claim. Anonymous sources require section editor sign-off and a standing note in the correction log.
03 · Document check
PDFs, gazette entries, and court listings are opened against the claim. Dates and clause numbers are copied into the subbing note.
04 · Right of reply
Subjects named in critical copy receive a reply window stated in the filing note. Embargoes are honoured to the minute.
05 · Desk sign-off
The section editor initials the spike copy. Night desk may hold but not bypass a missing rung.
When a rung cannot be reached before deadline, the piece publishes with an explicit gap line or waits on the spike. Readers see which rung failed in the correction record, not in sensational language.
The ladder is procedural, not performative — it exists so the room can sleep.