Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / ethics

ETH-001 Hard constraint layer: sentence

No known false statement

IF a statement is known to be false, THEN correct or remove it ELSE continue to evidence review.

Why the rule exists

Truth is a non-negotiable constraint, not a style preference.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • claim.known_false eq true

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
claim.known_false You supply it

Then

  1. block_publication — target claim
  2. correct_or_remove — target claim

Else

  1. retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • Advertising and Marketing Basics — U.S. Federal Trade Commission link
    Advertising claims must be truthful, non-deceptive, fair, and appropriately substantiated.
  • Advertising Substantiation Policy Statement — U.S. Federal Trade Commission link
    Objective claims require a reasonable evidentiary basis before dissemination.
  • Technical Communication — Mike Markel; Stuart A. Selber
    Audience, design, ethics, research, and technical genres.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 18-ethics-and-claims-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/ETH-001.

{
  "id": "ETH-001",
  "name": "No known false statement",
  "domain": "ethics",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "hard_constraint",
  "human_logic": "IF a statement is known to be false, THEN correct or remove it ELSE continue to evidence review.",
  "when": {
    "path": "claim.known_false",
    "operator": "eq",
    "value": true
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "block_publication",
      "target": "claim"
    },
    {
      "action": "correct_or_remove",
      "target": "claim"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Truth is a non-negotiable constraint, not a style preference.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "WEB-012",
    "WEB-013",
    "BK-026"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other ethics rules

  1. ETH-002 Evaluate express and implied claims IF wording, visuals, omissions, sequence, or context could imply a material claim, THEN evaluate that implication as well as the literal sentence ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  2. ETH-003 Evidence exists before objective claim IF an objective material claim will be published, THEN verify a reasonable evidentiary basis existed before dissemination ELSE block the claim. Hard constraint
  3. ETH-004 Disclose material conditions IF price, outcome, eligibility, risk, timing, endorsement, or availability depends on a material condition, THEN disclose it clearly and near the claim ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  4. ETH-005 Do not fabricate authority or social proof IF a credential, citation, endorsement, review, testimonial, user count, or case is unverifiable or synthetic without disclosure, THEN remove or accurately label it ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  5. ETH-006 Do not exploit vulnerability IF the audience is distressed, grieving, cognitively impaired, financially desperate, a child, or otherwise vulnerable, THEN remove coercive pressure and raise clarity, evidence, consent, and review requirements ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  6. ETH-007 Permission is not pressure IF a reader can legally or practically decline, THEN do not describe refusal as impossible, shameful, disloyal, or dangerous without evidence ELSE state real consequences neutrally. Hard constraint
  7. ETH-008 Preserve uncertainty in summaries IF source material expresses uncertainty, disagreement, limitation, or conditionality, THEN preserve it in summary ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  8. ETH-009 Separate persuasion from information when needed IF sponsorship, sales intent, advocacy, or conflict of interest could change reader interpretation, THEN disclose it early and plainly ELSE retain. Context default