# Codebook — PPN World Research Paper No. 2 (validation, pre-registration §6)

Written 2026-10-11, during the census run and before any release was drawn
for validation or coded. It turns the registered definitions (§5) into the
questions a person answers while reading a release page. Both coders use it
unchanged; neither sees the detector's answers or the other coder's.

**What you look at.** The release page as it was fetched (the archived copy
the study measured), not the live page, which may have changed. Read the page
as a reader would; ignore menus, cookie banners and "related articles".

**How to answer.** Yes or no for each question, except Q1. When unsure, apply
the definition literally; the examples settle the common cases. Each release
takes one to two minutes.

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**Q1. Is the extracted text the release?** (shown beside the page)
- **Whole** — the release's text from its first to its last paragraph, nothing
  else of substance.
- **Partial** — part of the release is missing (a paragraph, the end), or
  something that is not the release is mixed in (a menu, other articles, a
  cookie notice) — a stray line or two does not count.
- **Wrong** — mostly not the release.

**Q2. Dateline.** Does the release open (in its first paragraph, or on a line of
its own just above it, or after a short summary) with a place — or a
distributor's tag — followed by a dash, before the first sentence?
- Yes: "VANCOUVER — …", "NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 /Agency/ -- …", "Dublin, Oct. 8,
  2026 (AGENCY) -- …", "Ottawa, Ontario--(Agency - October 9, 2026) - …",
  ", /Agency/ -- Company…" (tag without the place), "Recife, Brazil, October 9,
  2026. …".
- No: a date alone ("September 9, 2026"), a sentence that starts with a place
  ("Toronto Police said…"), "Newswise — …" (a brand, no place, no tag in
  slashes or brackets).

**Q3. Sub-headline.** Is there a second, smaller title or a one- or two-sentence
summary between the headline and the first paragraph?
- Yes: a smaller heading under the title; an italic or bold deck; summary
  bullets above the dateline.
- No: a date, a byline, a category label, a photo caption.

**Q4. Byline.** Is the release signed by a named person ("By Alan Toth",
"Written by …") at the top?
- No: an organization ("By Seattle Police Department"), "Staff", a name that
  appears only at the bottom or only as a contact.

**Q5. About boilerplate.** Is there a section headed or opening "About
[organization]" that describes the organization?
- No: a closing paragraph describing the company without the word "About";
  "Om oss"/"À propos" (other languages).

**Q6. Contact block.** Does the release give, near a contact cue ("Media
contact", "Press inquiries", "For more information", "Contact:", "Media:"), an
email address or a phone number?
- Yes even if the address is hidden as "[email protected]".
- No: only a web form, only a website, only social links, a general sentence
  ("contact our office").

**Q7. Named contact person.** In that contact block, is a person named (a first
and last name)?
- Only answer yes if Q6 is yes.

**Q8. End mark.** Does a line with only `###`, `# # #`, `-30-` (any dash),
`***` or `END`/`ENDS` mark the end of the release text?

**Q9. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.** Do the words "For immediate release" appear
anywhere on the page?

**Q10. Quotation.** Is there at least one direct quotation of eight words or
more, in quotation marks, attributed with a speech verb (said, says, added,
stated, noted, commented, explained, remarked, continued, according to)?
- No: a quoted title or slogan, a quotation under eight words, a quotation with
  no speech verb nearby.

**Q11. Executive quotation.** Is at least one such quotation attributed to a
corporate title (CEO, Chief … Officer, President, Chair, Founder, Managing
Director, Executive Director, Director, General Manager, Vice President,
Partner, Owner, Head of), and not to a public title (Minister, Mayor, Governor,
Secretary, Commissioner, …)?
- "President" of a company counts; "President" of a country does not (that is
  a public title — answer no).

**Q12. Emotion word in an executive quotation.** Does an executive quotation
(Q11) contain pleased, excited, thrilled, delighted, proud, honored/honoured,
happy, glad or elated?
- Only answer yes if Q11 is yes.