A reader who has never seen a trust desk note without a named source will, sooner than the reader expects. The desk publishes a probable XI change on a Wednesday weeknight fixture, and the note lands without the desk's usual one-line source tag. The reader has twelve minutes, a captain pick locked, one differential slot open, and the working line on the venue from this morning. Acting on a body the desk has filed without naming the source is the locked-XI call the reader makes in those twelve minutes, and the locked-XI call is the call the rule below is built to shape.
Working line for the reader who wants the short version before reading the longer piece. The rule is four checks and three reader-states, and the four checks run in a fixed order. Open the note. Locate the source line. Confirm the source line names one of the standing sources the desk has already named on the about page. If the line does not name a standing source, the reader treats the note as a hedge note by default, applies the three reader-states to the locked XI, and files the note in the advisory slot the reader maintains. The reader who runs the four checks before changing a locked XI will change fewer teams on unnamed-source notes and lock better teams on named-source ones.
The rule is conservative on purpose. The desk publishes the named source as the line the reader can re-check on a later read, and the unnamed source is the seam between a note the desk commits to and a note the desk has filed without committing to. A reader who treats the seam as the seam the desk has drawn treats every unnamed-source note as a hedge note by default, and the hedge-by-default treatment is the line that protects the locked XI from a body the desk has not backed with a source the reader can re-check. The reader who files a hedge note in the advisory slot has filed a note the reader can re-open on the next contest the same call recurs.
The shape of the missing-source signal on a trust desk note
A trust desk note carries three signals the reader can read on the first read. The corrections trail sits at the top, the source line sits one paragraph below the corrections trail, and the timestamp sits on the same line as the source. A missing-source signal is one of three shapes, and each shape triggers the same hedge-by-default treatment on the locked XI.
The first shape is the source line the desk has left blank. The desk opens the body with a one-line lead paragraph, names the claim, and ends the lead paragraph without naming the broadcaster, the publication, the official statement, or the named account the desk has used. A reader who has read the lead paragraph twice and has not seen a named source has read a body the desk has filed without a source the reader can re-check, and the body is the body the hedge-by-default treatment runs on.
The second shape is the source line the desk has replaced with a generic phrase. The desk writes "per the report", "per latest feed", "per team update", or "per the broadcaster" without naming the account, the publication, the press conference, or the timestamp. A reader who has read the source phrase and has not seen a named account has read a body the desk has filed with a placeholder the reader cannot re-check. The placeholder is the seam between a note the desk commits to and a note the desk has filed without committing to, and the seam is the seam the hedge-by-default treatment runs on.
The third shape is the source line the desk has cited but has not named. The desk writes "per a team source" or "per a tournament source" without naming the team, the tournament, or the standing account the desk has already named on the about page. A reader who has read the cited phrase and has not seen a standing source has read a body the desk has filed with a citation the reader cannot cross-check against the desk's standing source list. The cited-without-named shape is the most common unnamed-source shape on the desk feed, and the shape is the seam the rule treats as the most important seam to read on the first read.
Each shape produces the same locked-XI treatment. The reader treats the body as a hedge note by default, leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, and files the body in the advisory slot the reader maintains. The reader who can name the shape on the first read has read the body in the order the desk has ordered the body, and the reader who has read the body in the order the desk has ordered the body has applied the rule to a body the rule has been written for.
The standing source list the reader applies the source line to
The desk maintains a small set of standing sources the desk has named on the about page. A reader who can name the standing sources before opening a body can run the four checks without leaving the body, and the four checks can be run in the head while the contest clock is running. The standing sources are not a long list, and the standing sources are the only sources the desk commits to.
The first standing source is the named broadcaster's pitch report at a named time. The desk re-checks the broadcaster's feed before publishing the body, and the body the desk has filed against the broadcaster's feed is the body the reader can re-check on the same feed at a later time. A note the desk has filed against the broadcaster's pitch report without naming the broadcaster is a body the reader cannot re-check against the desk's standing source list.
The second standing source is the official match feed at a named time. The desk re-checks the official match feed before publishing the body, and the body the desk has filed against the official feed is the body the reader can re-check on the same feed at a later time. A note the desk has filed against the official feed without naming the official feed is a body the reader cannot re-check against the desk's standing source list.
The third standing source is the named captain's pre-match press conference at a named time. The desk re-checks the captain's press conference before publishing the body, and the body the desk has filed against the captain's statement is the body the reader can re-check on the same statement at a later time. A note the desk has filed against a "team source" without naming the captain is a body the reader cannot re-check against the desk's standing source list.
The fourth standing source is the named account on the platform the desk has already named on the about page. The desk re-checks the named account before publishing the body, and the body the desk has filed against the named account is the body the reader can re-check on the same account at a later time. A note the desk has filed against "a source" without naming the account is a body the reader cannot re-check against the desk's standing source list.
The reader who has the four standing sources in mind before opening the body has the four checks ready to run on the first read. The reader who has to look up the standing sources after opening the body has spent the time the rule has reserved for the four checks on the standing-source lookup, and the reader has arrived at the four checks without the standing sources the four checks run against. The rule treats the standing sources as the precondition for the four checks, and the precondition is the precondition the reader has to build once.
The four checks, in the order the reader runs them
The four checks run in a fixed order on a single body. The reader does not re-order the checks, does not skip the checks, and does not add a fifth check the desk has not named. The four checks produce one of three reader-states, and the reader-state is the state the reader applies the locked XI to.
Check one is the corrections trail. The reader opens the corrections trail before opening the body, and the reader names the corrections trail on the first read. A body the desk has corrected is a body the reader applies the corrections trail to, and a body the desk has not corrected is a body the reader applies the lead paragraph to. The corrections trail is the seam between an original read and a corrected read, and the seam is the seam the reader has to name before reading the body.
Check two is the source line. The reader reads the source line once on the first read of the body and names the source line as either a standing source, a non-standing source, or a missing source. A standing source is one of the four sources the desk has named on the about page. A non-standing source is a source the desk has named but has not put on the standing source list. A missing source is a blank line, a placeholder phrase, or a cited-without-named phrase. The reader applies the locked XI to the named source on check two, and the named source is the line the reader applies the body to.
Check three is the timestamp. The reader reads the timestamp the desk has named on the source line, and the reader applies the timestamp to the contest lock. A body the desk has filed with a timestamp fresher than the contest lock is a body the reader can apply to the locked XI. A body the desk has filed with a timestamp staler than the contest lock is a body the reader cannot apply to the locked XI without a fresher note the desk has not yet filed. The timestamp is the seam between a fresh body and a stale body, and the seam is the seam the reader applies the source line to.
Check four is the magnitude. The reader reads the magnitude the desk has named on the body, and the reader applies the magnitude to the locked XI. A body the desk has filed with a magnitude the reader can act on is a body the reader applies the source line and the timestamp to. A body the desk has filed with a magnitude the reader cannot act on is a body the reader files in the advisory slot the reader maintains. The magnitude is the seam between an actionable body and a non-actionable body, and the seam is the seam the reader applies the timestamp to.
The three reader-states after the four checks
The four checks produce one of three reader-states, and the reader-state is the state the reader applies the locked XI to. Each reader-state is named on the same body, and each reader-state produces a single locked-XI action the reader takes in the twelve minutes the contest clock is running.
The first reader-state is act-now. The reader has run the four checks and the body has named a standing source, a fresher timestamp than the contest lock, and a magnitude the reader can act on. The reader applies the body to the locked XI, makes the change the body has named, and files the body in the lock-screen slot the reader maintains. The act-now reader-state is the only reader-state that changes the locked XI, and the reader-state is the reader-state the desk's standing source list is built to produce.
The second reader-state is defer. The reader has run the four checks and the body has named either a non-standing source or a staler timestamp than the contest lock. The reader leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, files the body in the advisory slot the reader maintains, and waits for a fresher body the desk has named against a standing source. The defer reader-state is the reader-state that protects the locked XI from a body the desk has filed without the standing sources the locked XI can be re-checked against.
The third reader-state is archive. The reader has run the four checks and the body has named a missing source on check two. The reader treats the body as a hedge note by default, leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, files the body in the advisory slot, and does not wait for a fresher body the desk may or may not file. The archive reader-state is the reader-state that protects the locked XI from a body the desk has filed without a source the reader can re-check, and the reader-state is the reader-state the rule is built to produce on every missing-source body.
The decision tree, in seven short branches
The seven branches below are the decision tree the rule produces on a single body. The reader walks the tree in order on the first read, names the branch the reader has walked to, and applies the branch to the locked XI. The tree is bounded: the reader either arrives at act-now, defer, or archive, and the arrival is the locked-XI action the reader takes.
Branch one. The corrections trail at the top of the body names a corrected read. The reader applies the corrections trail to the body and walks to branch three. Branch two. The corrections trail at the top of the body is blank. The reader applies the lead paragraph to the body and walks to branch three. The first two branches are the seam between an original read and a corrected read, and the seam is the seam the reader names on the first read.
Branch three. The source line names a standing source. The reader applies the source line to the body and walks to branch five. Branch four. The source line names a non-standing source, a placeholder phrase, a cited-without-named phrase, or a blank line. The reader applies the hedge-by-default treatment to the body, leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, and archives. Branch four is the seam the rule produces on every missing-source body, and the seam is the seam the reader applies the corrections trail to.
Branch five. The timestamp is fresher than the contest lock. The reader applies the timestamp to the body and walks to branch seven. Branch six. The timestamp is staler than the contest lock. The reader applies the deferred-state treatment to the body, leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, defers, and waits for a fresher body the desk has not yet filed. The timestamp branch is the seam between a fresh body and a stale body, and the seam is the seam the reader applies the source line to.
Branch seven. The magnitude is one the reader can act on. The reader applies the magnitude to the body, makes the change the body has named on the locked XI, and files the body in the lock-screen slot the reader maintains. The reader has walked the tree and arrived at act-now. The body the reader has read is the body the rule is built to produce on the first read.
A worked twelve-minute walkthrough on a Wednesday weeknight
The walkthrough below applies the rule to a single body on a Wednesday weeknight fixture, from the first corrections-trail line at the top of the body to the locked XI the reader has filed. The walkthrough is hypothetical, the walkthrough is meant to show how the four checks and the three reader-states land on a single first-time read, and the walkthrough is runnable in the head on the next Wednesday weeknight the desk publishes a missing-source body.
The setup. A Wednesday evening IPL fixture at 7:30 p.m. The contest locks at 7:25 p.m. The reader opens the desk feed at 7:13 p.m. and finds one body on the desk: a probable XI change on the away side. The reader has the XI partly built, the captain pick locked on the in-form opener, and one differential slot still open. The reader has twelve minutes, and the reader has not seen a missing-source body before. The reader opens the body and runs the four checks.
Check one, the corrections trail. The corrections trail at the top of the body is blank. The reader names the body as an original read on the first read of the corrections-trail line. Check two, the source line. The body leads with "per a team update" without naming the team, the captain, or the standing source the desk has named on the about page. The reader names the body as a missing-source body on the first read of the source line. The reader applies the hedge-by-default treatment on check two.
Check three, the timestamp. The body does not name a timestamp on the source line, and the reader cannot apply a timestamp the desk has not filed. The reader names the body as a body the desk has filed without a timestamp the reader can apply to the contest lock. Check four, the magnitude. The body names a probable XI change on the away opener. The reader has a magnitude to apply, and the magnitude is the seam between an actionable body and a non-actionable body.
The four checks have produced one reader-state: archive. The reader treats the body as a hedge note by default. The reader leaves the locked XI where the locked XI is, keeps the captain pick on the in-form opener the reader had locked before the body landed, and closes the differential slot with the second-best differential the reader has already shortlisted. The reader files the body in the advisory slot the reader maintains and waits for a fresher body the desk has named against a standing source. At 7:25 p.m. the contest locks, the XI the reader locked stands, and the body the reader archived is the body the reader re-opens on the next contest the same away-side XI change recurs.
The walkthrough is the rule applied to one body on one contest day. The rule does not change on the next contest day. The reader who has run the rule on a missing-source body has run the rule on a body the rule is built for, and the rule is the rule the reader will repeat on every missing-source body the desk publishes through the season.
Three questions readers send in about the missing-source rule
What does the reader do when the missing-source body names a magnitude the reader has already locked?
The reader archives the body without changing the locked XI. The hedge-by-default treatment runs on every missing-source body, and the locked XI the reader has filed before the body landed is the locked XI the reader keeps. The magnitude the reader has already locked is the magnitude the reader applies the body to, and the body the reader applies the magnitude to is a body the desk has filed without a standing source. The reader opens the advisory slot on the next contest the same call recurs and re-checks the advisory body against a fresher body the desk has named against a standing source.
Does the rule change when the desk publishes a corrections trail naming a corrected missing-source body?
The reader re-runs the four checks on the corrected body. The corrections trail at the top of the corrected body is the new seam the reader applies the body to, and the seam is the seam the reader has to read before re-running the four checks. A corrected body the desk has named against a standing source is a body the reader re-checks for the standing source and re-applies the hedge-by-default treatment on check two. A corrected body the desk has filed without a standing source is a body the reader re-archives without re-changing the locked XI.
What does the reader do when the desk names a standing source the reader has never heard of?
The reader treats the standing source as standing on the first read and applies the locked XI to the body. The standing source list the desk has published on the about page is the list the reader applies the source line to, and the reader does not re-derive the standing source list from the reader's own reading. The reader who has the standing source list in mind before opening the body can name the standing source on the first read, and the reader who has to look up the standing source on the about page has spent the time the rule has reserved for the four checks on the standing-source lookup. The rule treats the standing source list as the precondition for the four checks.
Where the rule stops being a rule
The rule is a rule for the first read the reader runs on a missing-source body. The rule is not a rule for the second read the reader runs on the same body, and the rule is not a rule for the read the reader runs on a body the desk has since corrected against a standing source. The boundary below is the line the rule keeps in front of every named-source body.
The first boundary is the body the reader has not opened. The rule runs on bodies the reader has opened on the lock screen and read past the corrections trail. The rule does not run on bodies the reader has not opened, on bodies the reader has archived before reading, or on bodies the reader has read past without running the four checks. A body the reader has not opened is a body the rule treats as not yet named, and a not-yet-named body is a body the rule returns no reader-state on. The reader who applies the rule to a body the reader has not opened has applied the rule to a body the corrections trail has not confirmed, and the body the rule has run on is a body the reader's bias has named.
The second boundary is the body the reader has read more than once. The rule runs on the first read the reader has made on a single body. The rule does not run on the second read the reader has made on the same body, on the read the reader has made on a body the desk has since corrected against a standing source, or on the read the reader has made on a body the reader has filed in the advisory slot and re-opened on a later contest. A second read is a read the reader has run on the reader's own, and the read the reader has run on the reader's own is a read the rule does not cover. The rule treats the second read as a read the reader has to build a new rule for, and the rule the reader has built for the second read is the rule the desk does not have a position on.
The third boundary is the body the desk has filed with a non-news claim. The rule runs on bodies the desk has filed as a probable XI change, a confirmed captain-pool change, a confirmed toss result, a confirmed pitch update, a confirmed weather change, or any other body that names a fixture the reader is on. The rule does not run on bodies the desk has filed as a meta note on the desk's own process, on bodies the desk has filed as a correction to a previous body the reader has not read, or on bodies the desk has filed as a feature or retrospective the reader is reading for context. A body the desk has filed as a meta note is a body the reader applies the desk's process to, and the desk's process is the process the rule does not try to second-guess.
One habit the rule would teach, one it would not
Two short paragraphs on the single reader-side habit the rule would recommend, and the one habit the rule would not. The frame is bounded: the rule can publish four checks and three reader-states, but the rule cannot run the four checks on the reader's behalf, and the four checks are the checks the locked XI owns.
The habit the rule would teach is the standing-source habit. The reader builds the four standing sources the desk has named on the about page into a single bookmark folder the reader opens before the desk feed, and the reader applies the standing source list to the source line on every body the reader opens. The standing source habit is the habit that compounds across the season because the standing source list is the list the reader applies the four checks to, and the four checks the reader has already built the standing source list for are the checks the reader runs in the head while the contest clock is running. The saving is the difference between a missing-source signal the reader has named on the first read and a missing-source signal the reader has named on the second read.
The habit the rule would not teach is the always-defer habit. Deferring every body the desk has filed without naming a timestamp, deferring every body the desk has filed without naming a magnitude, and locking the XI on the read the reader has filed before any body has landed produces a locked XI that has not played a contest. The bounded view: the reader who runs the four checks on every body the reader opens will act on fewer bodies and lock better teams, and the difference will be visible at the next deadline, not at the next season opener. The rule's only forecast is that the four checks compound, and the compounding is the only honest forecast the rule is willing to make on a reader's missing-source habit.