Original evidence first.
When an original filing, regulator record, statement, document or dataset is available, the newsroom should prefer it over a second-hand description of the same fact.
S
ARABIAN CURRENT / SOURCE POLICY
The source should stay attached to the claim.
Arabian Current is designed so material reporting can retain the record behind it: what a source supports, when it was checked and where its limits begin.
Role is visible.
A source can be core evidence, supporting evidence or context. The label tells readers how much weight the record carries in the published conclusion.
The checked date matters.
Regulatory status, company terms, product details and market records can change. The evidence record keeps the date on which the newsroom checked it.
Limits do not disappear.
A source may prove one fact without proving the broader claim. Arabian Current keeps “what it supports” separate from “what it does not prove.”
EVIDENCE ROLE
Not every source does the same job.
Material to the conclusion.
If this record changed, the story, finding or verdict could materially change with it.
Corroborates the record.
Useful for confirming identity, context, chronology or another factual layer without carrying the conclusion alone.
Helps explain significance.
Useful for interpretation and market framing, but not presented as proof of the central factual claim.