On the record see profile →
Documentary-investigative register prefers past-tense factual narration
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For
“The tense is part of the credibility apparatus.”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
The documentary register has a characteristic rhythm
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For
“Documentary register's characteristic rhythm:”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
The system should support two positions and let the operator pick:
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For
“The system should support two positions and let the operator pick:”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
No unattributed authoritative pronouncements about contested matters; the narrator is named, situated, and accountable.
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For
“"Voice of God" omniscience.”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
Sentence rhythm should be short, declarative, and mostly under twenty words
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For
“12. **Sentence rhythm: short, declarative, mostly under twenty words.**”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
Disputed — who says what, against what see standalone →
These are things people say about Documentary narrator that aren't settled fact — each one attributed to who's actually claiming it, so a claim never quietly passes as established just because it showed up in a document. Weigh it yourself.
Disputed
"past tense carries the implicit claim of having-been-investigated"
Asserted by Documentary narrator · stance: pro
The evidence on file mostly supports this, but it's still someone's claim, not a settled fact.
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For ↗
Disputed
"The narrator should disclose method"
Unattributed assertion · stance: pro
Not yet independently weighed — one source's claim, unconfirmed elsewhere.
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For ↗
Disputed
"The detached mode is appropriate when the system is reporting on an investigation that already exists in the public record."
Unattributed assertion · stance: pro
Not yet independently weighed — one source's claim, unconfirmed elsewhere.
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For ↗
Disputed
"The narrator should cite tightly in voice and densely on screen"
Unattributed assertion · stance: pro
The evidence on file mostly supports this, but it's still someone's claim, not a settled fact.
The Documentary Voice: A Specification for Investigative/For ↗
People
Curtismember of