Where the desk reads and how the update protocol works.
The register
The evidence register lists every primary source the desk uses, ranked by tier. Tier-1 sources are required for confirmed entries; Tier-2 sources fill announced entries and may be promoted on operator confirmation; Tier-3 sources are read for context only.
Tier-1 sources
The desk's Tier-1 sources are publisher patch-notes pages (primary for format changes, utility cooldowns, balance updates), tournament operator schedules (primary for stage cards, bracket fill, group draws, format match pages), team press releases and official roster PDFs (primary for roster attribution, role assignment, transfers) and operator help pages (primary for streaming access, regional gating, replay availability).
Tier-2 sources
Tier-2 sources include trade-press desks, which are read for editorial interpretation, scene context and profile quotes. Trade press is not used as the source of a confirmed fact. Where a Tier-2 source flags a question the desk has not seen on a Tier-1 source, the desk opens the question on the briefing queue and waits for the Tier-1 confirmation.
Tier-3 sources
Tier-3 sources are community reports, co-stream reads and platform-native scene chatter. Tier-3 sources are cited only as scene context — the desk names the platform and the channel but does not extrapolate factual claims from the source.
Update protocol
Tier-1 sources are scanned on weekday mornings. Tier-2 sources are read daily but only quoted when the desk attributes the publication. Tier-3 sources are read in aggregate and not attributed unless the desk can verify the source on the platform.
When a Tier-1 source updates, the desk publishes a dispatch line on the dispatch stream if the update is visible to readers on a page they would have read yesterday. Routine confirmation of a previously announced fact does not count as news; a substantive change in status does.
Tier re-evaluation
The desk re-evaluates the tier of every source on the register at the end of each calendar month. Sources that trigger three corrections in a 90-day window are flagged for review. A re-evaluation may move a source from Tier-1 to Tier-2 (a downgrade) or from Tier-2 to Tier-1 (an upgrade). Re-evaluations are dated and posted on the dispatch stream.
Reader depth
Reading the evidence register against the tier rules
Three habits the desk follows when reading the evidence register against the tier rules.
The first habit is to read every Tier-1 source on weekday mornings. The desk reads the publisher patch-notes pages, the operator roster PDFs, the operator stage cards and the operator help pages on weekday mornings, noting any change against the prior day. The desk also reads Tier-2 sources daily but only quotes Tier-2 sources where the publication is named; the desk does not extrapolate factual claims from Tier-3 sources.
The second habit is to log every source update. The desk's evidence register tracks which Tier-1 sources the desk has read on which days. The register is a working document, not a static directory. Where a Tier-1 source updates, the desk publishes a dispatch line on the dispatch stream if the update is visible to readers on a page they would have read yesterday. Routine confirmation of a previously announced fact does not count as news.
The third habit is to re-evaluate the tier of every source at the end of each calendar month. Sources that trigger three corrections in a 90-day window are flagged for review. A re-evaluation may move a source from Tier-1 to Tier-2 (a downgrade) or from Tier-2 to Tier-1 (an upgrade). Re-evaluations are dated and posted on the dispatch stream; readers who follow the register can audit the desk's editorial hygiene.
Where the desk diverges from coverage that mirrors trade-press reads is on the tier-discipline policy. Trade press will sometimes accept hospitality from operators or publishers the publication covers, or take weeks to verify a source. The desk does not. The desk declines hospitality where the policy would otherwise apply, and the desk verifies sources within 24 hours on weekdays. The discipline is sometimes slower to operate; it is always more honest to read.
The desk also treats the evidence register as a working document. Sources move up the tier-ladder as new tiers confirm; sources that fall off the publisher or operator page get removed, not retained as a footnote. The register is rebuilt from publisher and operator pages only. A source the desk kept for "tracking purposes" is a source the reader cannot verify, so the desk removes rather than retains. This is sometimes the slower choice; it is always the more honest choice.
Editorial cycle: weekday-morning source-scan, weekday-afternoon narrative-edit, weekly patch workshop. Verification timestamps on the dispatch stream.
Editorial working notes
How the desk reads this
A working description of the editorial cadence the desk follows on this route.
The register is structured around three tiers, but the desk's editorial practice does not always fit cleanly into the tier vocabulary. Where a source is partially Tier-1 and partially Tier-2, the desk treats the source as Tier-1 only on the topics the source publishes Tier-1-grade material, and Tier-2 on the topics the source publishes Tier-2-grade material. The granular tier labelling is published on the register where relevant.
Tier-1 sources the desk reads but does not cite as primary. Some Tier-1 sources the desk reads are not cited as primary because the source's publication cadence is slower than the desk's editorial cycle. The desk reads the source on the source's publication cadence and notes the publication date on the register; the desk does not cite the source until the publication matches the editorial cycle's cadence.
Tier-2 sources the desk cites as primary. Some Tier-2 sources the desk cites as primary because the source is the only publisher of a particular category of editorial content (e.g. a regional publisher for a regional tournament the operator does not publish on). The desk cites the source with the Tier-2 label and notes the desk's reason for promoting the source to primary on the register.
Tier-3 sources the desk treats as out of scope for fact verification. The desk does not use Tier-3 sources to verify facts, but the desk does use Tier-3 sources for scene context (e.g. community channels discussing the mood in a qualifier, co-streams noting the timing of a ban pick). The contextual use is cited as scene context, never as fact.
The register is reviewed at the end of each calendar month. The review re-evaluates the tier of every source on the register and posts a dated dispatch on the dispatch stream. Where the review changes a tier, the change is logged on the register with the date and the reason. Readers who follow the register for a season see the cadence of re-evaluations on the dispatch stream.
Worked example
How the cycle reads in practice
A worked trace of the editorial cycle on this page.
A worked example of Tier-1 verification in practice. A publisher publishes a new patch. The desk reads the publisher patch-notes page at 09:14 UTC and again at 10:42 UTC after the publisher adds a footnote. Both reads confirm the patch; the desk publishes a dispatch line on the dispatch stream with the verification timestamps logged. The dispatch stream entry is the audit trail.
Where the register covers a worked Tier-2 example. A trade-press desk publishes a profile piece on a player who has been traded. The desk reads the profile piece, cites the trade-press publication by name, and notes the desk's read of the trade. The desk does not extrapolate factual claims from the profile piece; the desk cites the trade press as scene context only.
Where the register covers a worked Tier-3 example. A community report flags a story about a roster swap before the operator's roster page updates. The desk reads the community report, cites the community platform by name, and notes the desk's read of the report. The desk does not extrapolate factual claims from the community report; the desk cites the community report as scene context only.
Where the register covers tier re-evaluation in practice. A source that triggered three corrections in a 90-day window is flagged for review. The desk re-reads the source's recent publications and decides whether to move the source from Tier-1 to Tier-2 (a downgrade). The re-evaluation is logged on the register and posted on the dispatch stream with the date of the re-evaluation.
Where the register covers the difference between a source and a publication. A publication is the entity that publishes a story; a source is the entity the publication cites. The desk's tier rules apply to publications, not to sources. Where the desk cites a publication, the desk cites the publication by name and reads the publication's tier rather than the cited source's tier.
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