Unverifiable claim
Makes a specific claim with no source attached that can be checked.
Specimen
Internal documents show the company knew about the risks for years before going public.
Fabricated passage — teaching example designed for clarity.
unverifiable claim — documents referenced but not published, linked, or described
Dissection
Internal documents show the company knew about the risks for years before going public.
- documents not published
- cannot be checked
- claim carries serious implications
Field notes
- Family
- Data & evidence issue
- Habitat
- investigative journalism, political reporting, financial news
- Frequency
- found in 16% of analyzed articles
- Confused with
- Anonymous sourcing , Fabricated claim
In the wild
"Sources with direct knowledge say the meeting took place despite official denials."
Political reporting, national broadsheet, February 2026
"Data we have reviewed shows the figures were manipulated before release."
Investigative journalism, online publication, April 2026
Why it works
'Documents show' sounds definitive. Specificity signals credibility — even when the documents themselves are invisible.
Counter-move
Ask: can these documents be seen? Has another outlet independently verified this?
See it flagged in real articles while you read.
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