What we change

Every rule the engine works to: 30 of them, 15 that change the text and 15 that only record what they found. Each carries a code, and the code is what you will see against a change on an article.

The codes are stable. A rule can be retired and its code is never reused, so "we have never applied D3 inside a quotation" is a sentence that means something. Nothing on this page is aspirational — it is what the code does, and a test fails the build if this list and the engine disagree.

A · Judgment

Words that grade an event instead of reporting it.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`A1`	Descriptive adjective	An adjective that says what something is like rather than which thing it is. a devastating loss → a loss	changes the text
`A2`	Evaluative adjective	An adjective that is a verdict: the writer’s opinion of the thing, not a description of it. a shameful decision → a decision	changes the text
`A3`	Intensifier	A word whose only job is to turn the volume up on the word after it. utterly disastrous → disastrous	changes the text
`A4`	Manner adverb	An adverb describing how something was done, where the description cannot be checked. brutally rejected the offer → rejected the offer	changes the text
`A5`	Evaluative phrase	A phrase that delivers a verdict as a unit. nothing short of a disaster → a disaster	changes the text
`A6`	Judgment kept	A verdict left in place because removing it would have changed a fact or broken the sentence.	records only
`A7`	Favourable spin	Praise rather than criticism. Marked and left, because the same word may be the fact.	records only
`A9`	Plainer word for a loud one	An adjective swapped for one that says the same thing without the drama, where deleting it would take a fact with it. a deadly crash → a fatal crash	changes the text

B · Framing

Phrases that tell you how to read what follows.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`B1`	Framing phrase	An opener that instructs the reader how to take the sentence after it. In a stunning rebuke, the minister quit. → The minister quit.	changes the text
`B2`	Idiom	A figure of speech standing in for what happened, replaced with what happened. lashed out at critics → criticised	changes the text
`B3`	Minimising framing	Wording that makes an event sound smaller than the facts in the same sentence.	records only

C · Loaded terms

Words that carry a verdict inside the word itself.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`C1`	Loaded noun	A noun carrying a verdict, replaced with the plain word for the same thing. the regime said → the government said	changes the text
`C2`	Loaded verb	A verb that characterises rather than reports. slammed the proposal → criticised the proposal	changes the text
`C3`	Coded diction	A term that signals a political position while appearing to describe one.	changes the text
`C4`	Coded diction, no plain equivalent	Coded wording with no neutral replacement that means the same thing. Marked, not changed.	records only
`C5`	Loaded term for review	A word we hold to be loaded but will not swap automatically.	records only
`C6`	Contested term, asserted	A characterisation people disagree about, stated in the outlet’s own voice.	records only
`C7`	Contested term, attributed	The same, but the sentence says who is making the characterisation. Kept.	records only
`C10`	Coded diction, reported	A coded term that is what somebody is reported to have said rather than the outlet’s own wording. Changing it would alter the account of what was said, so it is marked and left as filed. accused them of peddling fake news → accused them of peddling fake news	records only

D · Attribution

Claims made with nobody’s name on them.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`D1`	Unsourced claim	An assertion with nobody’s name attached to it.	records only
`D2`	Unattributed projection	A statement about the future with no one named as making it.	records only
`D3`	Ranking	A superlative or comparative. Kept, because it is a claim that can be checked, and flagged for attribution.	records only
`D4`	Kept in context	A word that would usually go, kept because this sentence makes it factual.	records only

E · Identity

A person’s group named where it has no bearing on the story.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`E1`	Gendered framing	Appearance, family status or gender attached to a person where the story does not turn on it. mother-of-two Jane Doe, the female chief executive → Jane Doe, the chief executive	changes the text
`E2`	Faith named without bearing	A religion named in a report that has nothing to do with it. Kept where the offence itself is about faith.	changes the text
`E3`	First or second person	"I" or "you" outside a quotation, in a report written as though it were a letter.	records only
`E4`	Gendered word swapped	A word gendered by usage, replaced with the one that is not. a spokesman said → a spokesperson said	changes the text
`E5`	The writer’s own opinion	A recommendation or stance worn on the outside of a sentence, where what the article is about survives without it. Never applied inside a quotation, so somebody speaking about their own life is left alone. 3 ASX 200 shares I’d buy and hold for a decade → 3 ASX 200 shares to buy and hold for a decade	changes the text

F · Engagement

Devices whose job is to keep you reading rather than to inform you.

Code	Rule	What it is	Acts
`F1`	Curiosity gap	A phrase that promises something and withholds it, so the only way to have it is to keep reading.	records only
`F2`	Adjective for review	A word that looks adjectival and is on no list. Recorded rather than removed.	records only

What is not here

Anything inside quotation marks. The engine does not edit a quotation for any reason, under any rule on this page: a quotation is what somebody said, and changing it puts words in their mouth or takes them out.

If you think a rule is wrong, or that we have applied one where we should not have, tell us — it goes in the corrections ledger whether we agree or not.