Research method · Reviewed 25 October 2026
A local development story can involve a press release, an application, a map and a neighbor’s observation. They may all be useful, but they establish different things. A source ledger helps you avoid turning a promotional statement or unverified observation into a reported fact.
Give every material claim an evidence row
| Claim | Underlying source | Evidence type | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you plan to say | Exact document, reference and date | Official record / direct observation / attributed statement / inference | What the source does not establish |
| Proposed project description | Applicant’s published statement | Attributed proposal | Not proof of approval or construction |
| Record status | Official entry and retrieval date | Documented system status | Scope and date of that entry only |
| Likely consequence | Clearly stated reasoning | Editorial inference | Assumptions and missing evidence |
Separate the source’s role from its usefulness
A developer can be the best source for what it is proposing while remaining an interested party in how the proposal is described. Attribute the statement and seek the relevant official record for status. Two websites repeating the same press release are not two independent confirmations. Record the original source chain.
When the evidence is a map, write down the layer and property selected. When it is a public filing, preserve its reference. NYC Buildings provides links to building records, while ACRIS is a separate route to certain recorded property documents. The systems serve different purposes; neither turns an unsupported commercial claim into an established fact.
Use a claim test before publication
Read each sentence that names a person, business or property. Ask: is this an observed fact, an attributed statement or my interpretation? If the distinction is unclear, rewrite the sentence. “The company says it plans to…” is different from “The company is building…”. Do not add confident wording to compensate for a missing record.
Keep corrections traceable
When a material fact changes or an error is found, preserve the old evidence internally and state the correction clearly on the article. Distinguish an update about a later event from a correction of a statement that was wrong when published. Changing a headline’s date without explaining a substantive correction can mislead returning readers.
A useful correction note identifies what was wrong, the corrected fact and the date. It does not need to repeat a harmful allegation in full. If the evidence remains unresolved, describe that uncertainty rather than quietly replacing one unsupported claim with another.
Primary reference routes: NYC building records and NYC Finance: ACRIS. The source ledger and publication checks are original editorial methods, not assertions about any particular person or project.