Methodology

How It Unfolded publishes timelines. Each one is a list of dated events, and each event links to at least one source.

What counts as a source

We rank sources in four tiers and prefer the highest available: official records such as court judgments, dockets, regulator orders and investigation reports; other government documents; the subject's own filings and statements; and reporting by established news organisations. Wikipedia is never cited, though it can help us find primary records.

Neutral wording

Allegations are attributed to the person or body that made them. Legal status is stated exactly, so a charge is not a conviction, a settlement is not an admission, and a dismissal is not an acquittal unless a court said so. We do not use loaded words in our own voice and we do not label politicians by party.

Rivalries

In a rivalry timeline each side's actions sit on its own side of the spine. A reply is linked to what it answered only when a source shows it was a response. Counts of moves are simple tallies of the events we list, not a judgment about who was right.

Quotes

Quotes are exact and short, 25 words or fewer, and each one links to where it was said or reported.

Dates

Where a source gives only a month or a year, we show only that. Times appear only where an official report gives them, and they are shown in the time zone the report uses.

Photos

We use photos only when they are in the public domain or under a licence that allows reuse, with the credit and licence shown next to the image.

Updates

Ongoing timelines show a "Where it stands now" box with the date it was last checked. We do not accept payment to add, change or remove anything.