How we label claims
Every entry in our trackers and every item in Today carries one of four labels and a link to its source. The label says how sure we are, not how important the claim is.
- Confirmed
What it means. The fact is established by official records, by several independent and reliable sources, or by the party itself when it describes its own action.
An example. On 1 October, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and Eritrea said it cut all ties. Both governments acted publicly.
- Reported
What it means. One credible outlet or source reports it, and we have not been able to confirm it independently.
An example. Reuters sources said Ethiopian troops retook Mekelle's airport on 3 October. Al Jazeera could not confirm it.
- Claimed
What it means. A party to the conflict says it, and no independent source has verified it.
An example. Sudan's army says it retook al-Mazroub. The RSF has not confirmed that, and we have no independent report.
- Unconfirmed
What it means. The claim is circulating, no credible source stands behind it, or the sources conflict.
An example. Explosions were heard in Addis Ababa overnight on 30 September and 1 October. No authority has said what caused them.
What we never do
- We never upgrade a label without new evidence, and when a label changes, we say so on the page.
- We never present one side's claim about its own success as fact.
- We link every source, so readers can check us.
- We log every correction in our corrections log.