The first hours of an international crisis are full of partial information. Numbers can change, causes may remain uncertain and officials may be working from incomplete field reports. The responsible reader should look for the time of the update, the source of the claim and which details have been independently confirmed.\n\nCoverage of the Kumamoto earthquake illustrated this process: the reported magnitude was revised, rescue figures developed and the cause of a mall explosion was still under investigation. Global Talks will update stories as evidence changes rather than preserving an early claim for dramatic effect.
Early reports need a disciplined reading
