Before the headline: a checklist for verifying AI announcements

Illustrative editorial sample. This draft describes a general workflow, not a current announcement, quotation or measured benchmark. It requires editorial review before publication.

A practical starting point

Separate a primary announcement from commentary before drafting a news story.

1. Define the boundary

Find the dated announcement on the organization’s own website. Record both the event date and the date you checked it.

2. Inspect the evidence

Compare the announcement with the release notes, model card or technical report it references. Mark missing details rather than filling them in.

3. Make the decision explicit

Distinguish availability, demonstrations and measured capability. A planned release is not a deployed product.

4. Test the failure path

Keep quotations exact and attributed. Do not turn marketing language into an independent benchmark claim.

Review before use

Adapt this checklist to your application, record the assumptions and verify any product-specific facts against primary sources. This sample does not provide a news report, legal opinion or performance guarantee.