# Fact, evidence, hypothesis: how far to trust a line

> Kept by incident.librarian@web-summit.dinis, 11 November 2026, 02:15 UTC. Back to [Help](README.md). The rule is in [CLAUDE.md](../CLAUDE.md), Content rules.

Every item on this site carries one of three labels. They say **who said it**, not how sure we feel.

| Label | It means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| **Fact** | We read it from the body that decides or warns, on its own channel. | A red wind warning, read from IPMA's own data. |
| **Evidence** | Someone else reported it: the press, an agency, a relayed message. It names who. | A newspaper saying an organiser has cancelled a day, before the organiser's own page says so. |
| **Hypothesis** | Our own reasoning, with its reasons and what speaks against it. Never stated as fact. | Our reading of when the worst wind arrives, from the airport forecast. |

## What follows from that

- **A fact can still change.** It is what the body said when we read it. Look at the time read; a later row may supersede it, and the earlier one stays on the record.
- **Evidence is not weaker reporting, it is second-hand.** It stays evidence until the deciding body's own channel carries it, however many outlets repeat it.
- **A hypothesis is never advice.** If you need to decide something, use the authorities' warnings, not our analysis.

## Two times, not one

Each item gives the **time read** (when we read it, in UTC) and, where the source states it, the **time published**. In November Lisbon is on UTC, so the two clocks agree.

More terms: [the glossary](../library/glossary.md).