Every story on AltcoinGordon carries one number: how many independent publishers have reported the same claim. Not a score we assign, not a badge we award — a count you can check.
We rank by that count rather than by recency. Ranking by recency rewards whoever publishes first; ranking by corroboration rewards whoever turns out to be right. A story that only one outlet has reported is still published, and labelled as exactly that, so you can decide what weight to give it. As other publishers confirm it, it moves up.
Publishers are counted by organisation, never by feed. Several syndicated feeds from one outlet are one publisher, and a story that simply republishes another outlet does not count toward corroboration at all.
What the meter shows
Every story and every claim carries the same meter: how many independent publishers have reported it, against the 3 required to mark it verified. Publishers are counted by organisation, not by feed, so several syndicated feeds from one outlet count once.
The corroboration scale
Every story starts as New and moves as evidence arrives. A story that gathers no independent corroboration within 24 hours of publication becomes Unproven — that is a change in what we can say about it, not a change in the story.
When the scale does not apply
Two desks sit outside it. Counting publishers is the wrong question for both, and showing a meter reading 1 of 3 would imply a factual claim awaiting confirmation that was never a factual claim.
How each publisher is counted
Not every mention counts the same way. For each claim we record what a publisher actually did with it — and a story that merely republishes another outlet does not count toward corroboration at all.
The publisher independently reports the same assertion.
A credible publisher reports something incompatible with it.
Agrees with part of the claim but not its full extent.
Republishes another outlet rather than reporting independently. Does not count toward corroboration.