Four stages before copy clears the desk.
Every paragraph that leaves Wire Swift Haven passes through one of four mark-up stages. Marks appear in the left margin of drafts and are described here so readers know what verification means on this portal.
Other newsrooms use colour for urgency; we use colour for verification depth. Urgency is handled by placement in The Tide File, not by changing mark colours mid-day. Once a mark is assigned, it stays until a second reader upgrades or downgrades it with initials and a time stamp in the ribbon book.
01
Green margin tick · fact block verified
Green means the fact block matches a primary document: harbour notice, Land Transport Authority advisory, Urban Redevelopment Authority filing, or a photograph with embedded metadata we can reconcile to the claimed time. Green does not mean the fact is permanent — only that it was true at verification time.
Editors append the document name in the margin: "LT A advisory 2026-0814" or "Door notice 27B photographed 14:22." Readers may request copies of referenced documents during River Hours unless release is restricted by law.
02
Blue margin tick · dialogue checked
Blue applies to quoted speech. We compare published quotes against audio or message transcripts stored on encrypted drives in the office. Minor filler words may be removed for clarity; meaning may not be altered. If a source requests off-the-record protection after speaking, we strike the quote and publish a note explaining retraction without naming the source unless they release us.
03
Amber margin tick · context supplied
Amber marks interpretive paragraphs: historical background, comparisons to prior years, or synthesis across multiple green-tick facts. Amber copy must cite its green sources inline. We do not amber-label opinion; opinion is not published on this portal.
When only amber-level verification is possible — for example, a tenant rumour without a posted notice — the headline includes the word "Unconfirmed" and the paragraph remains amber until beat three upgrades it.
04
Open square · awaiting second reader
An open square means one editor has filed the paragraph and a second reader has not yet signed. Open squares may appear briefly on the live site during fast-moving safety filings; they must not appear above the fold on slower beats. If a square remains open past 18:30, the paragraph drops to draft status until the next River Hours day.
How marks appear online
Published pages do not show coloured ticks in the browser — the marks are a desk convention described here for transparency. Instead, each story ends with a mark summary line: "Filed green/blue/amber · second reader J. Lim · 14 Aug 2026 15:04." Safety filings add the verification source URL when available.
Photographs receive parallel marks. A green tick on an image means the caption matches the scene and the clock time in metadata falls within thirty minutes of the claimed time. Drone images are not used; all photographs are taken from public walkways or from the desk windows unless we have written access permission on file.
Downgrades. If a primary document is retracted, green paragraphs downgrade to amber with a correction notice. Blue quotes downgrade to struck text if transcripts contradict the published version.
Training. New editors spend two weeks marking photocopied proofs before they touch live copy. Training sets use 2024 archive pages with deliberate errors.
For beat schedules that trigger mark reviews, see Quay Beats. For FAQ on requesting source documents, see Desk Notes.