Source freshness
Do not send a live Buttondown issue if any published local claim is backed only by a stale, unverified or local-media-only source.
Each source class has a maximum acceptable age before an item is suppressed, rechecked or held for editor review.
Max age 18h
High risk of wasting a reader's morning with stale disruption, warnings or event timing.
Categories: Weather, Travel, Police, Events
Fallback: Suppress the item or replace it with a dated original-source link and checkedAt note.
Max age 72h
Medium risk of missing council, planning, consultation or decision deadlines.
Categories: Government and records, Planning, Open data
Fallback: Flag for editor review and do not publish deadline claims without the original register or agenda.
Max age 168h
Sponsor proof and local angle copy can drift away from the current market reality.
Categories: Local news, Events, Business
Fallback: Use for discovery only until matched with a current official, venue or advertiser-owned source.
Queues turn source age into concrete evidence requirements for publish gates and commercial proof.
editor
Any item with a comment deadline, meeting date, consultation close or decision notice.
Evidence: original source URL; published or updated date; affected place; deadline or decision state; plain-English resident consequence
editor
Any rail, road, bus, weather, flood or police item affecting today or tomorrow.
Evidence: official source URL; checkedAt timestamp; route or area; start and end window; reader action
commercial review
Any sponsor pitch, media-kit proof point or affiliate product angle based on local trend evidence.
Evidence: source URL; why this fits York, Harrogate or North Leeds; no unverified audience number; no regulated claim; approval status
Prep-only tasks for the next safe automation pass. No live email, public post or sponsor outreach is triggered.