16:40 · Emerald Hill · Singapore
The quench, step by step.
The quench is our name for verification — borrowed from metalwork on the bench metaphor. A story is heated by reporting, then cooled through six ordered steps before it enters a cast. Skipping a step is not a shortcut; it is a hold or a decline.
This page is the full method. Readers, partners, and new desk staff use it as the single reference for what "published" means at News Forge Spark.
Quench · what this page covers
Six steps, in order, with no implied outcomes — only process. When a published piece errs, corrections follow Make Good rather than rewriting history silently.
Tip logged
Every candidate story enters the bench log with source, hearth tag, and the reporter who first touched it. Anonymous tips are noted but not published until corroborated. The log is internal; readers see the outcome in cast headers, not raw tip text.
Second source
A second independent source must confirm the core factual claim — another document, an on-the-record interview, or an agency release that matches field observation. Single-source exclusives remain in hold until this step completes or the desk declines publication.
Document check
Where documents exist — minutes, tenders, advisories — sub-editors match quoted figures and dates to originals. Scanned PDFs are archived with file names tied to the piece slug. If no document exists, the piece carries an explicit note that verification relied on interviews only.
Right of reply
Subjects named in critical reporting receive a documented invitation to respond before publication. Deadlines are reasonable and logged. If no response arrives, the piece publishes with a clear note that reply was sought — never implying consent where silence is merely silence.
Bench proof
Proofs are marked on the teak bench with house symbols: copper tick for verified datelines, hairline for pending elements, mono note for photograph credit gaps. The desk editor reads every proof before cast assignment. Style is enforced but never at the expense of accuracy.
Cast release
Only after steps one through five are complete — or explicitly waived with a published hold reason — does a piece enter a cast. Release timestamps are recorded in Singapore time. Post-release corrections follow the Make Good policy rather than silent edits.
Holds and waivers
Occasionally the desk waives a step with a published reason — for example, a public agency statement with no reasonable expectation of individual reply. Waivers are rare, logged, and visible in the piece footer. They are not used to rush sensational claims.
Holds are preferable to partial publication. A hold line on the home page names the hearth and the missing step without leaking unpublished allegations.
Relationship to casts
Step six assigns a cast — noon pour, evening ingot, context plate, or Sunday file. Assignment depends on verification completion time and editorial weight, not on click potential. See The Cast for release windows.
Cross-hearth pieces require dual initials on step five before step six may proceed.
Training and audit
New desk staff walk through a sample tip on the bench — from log entry to cast assignment — before touching live material. Quarterly, the desk editor audits ten random pieces for quench compliance. Findings are logged internally; systemic gaps become Sunday file explainers, not hidden memos.
Readers may ask which quench step applied to a published piece by citing the cast timestamp. We answer with step completion status, not with internal tip text.
Document types we accept
Agency PDFs, town council minutes, court filings available to the public, and on-the-record transcripts. Screenshots of unknown provenance require re-verification. We do not treat forwarded WhatsApp chains as documents unless each claim traces to an original source.
Translated documents are checked against originals where language capability exists; otherwise the piece notes reliance on official English releases only.
Step timing is logged in SGT on the bench sheet — readers see cast timestamps, not internal step clocks, unless a hold explains delay.
Read the Make Good corrections policy
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