Learn · Claim tags
Verified, disputed, missing context
The four claim tags Clad uses on load-bearing statements — especially “missing context,” where most spin lives.
Each report picks a handful of load-bearing claims from the segment and tags them. You’re not supposed to memorize the rubric — you’re supposed to get faster at noticing when a line on TV is doing work.
Missing context is the tag worth learning first. A true-sounding number with the base rate stripped out is how a lot of political media actually operates.
verified Matched primary sources — the bill, the data, the transcript, the study.
disputed Credible sources contradict it. Don't take the airtime version as settled.
missing context Technically true, but leaves out something that changes the meaning (base rate, time frame, who paid).
unsupported No good evidence either way. Treat as unproven, not as a secret truth.
Practice on the morning quiz. Free account unlocks grades on every report — create one. Campus hub: Clad for students.
More explainers
- What does a C− mean? — Letter grades, decoded
- How to read the lean meter — Left · Center · Right
- Why every report lists sources — Receipts
- How to spot spin in 30 seconds — Patterns
- Reading the news before your first vote — Civics, no lecture