Version History

V3.0.1 — July 2026

Merged steps 3.E and 3.K into a single test of absences (identification + strategic qualification).
Refocused step 3.K (formerly 3.L) on target audience adaptation, without repeating absences.
Reversibility clause between 0.f and 3.K: mandatory return to the audience hypothesis at the end of step 3.
Mental substitution test for the severity scale (7.a).
Step 8 made mandatory (minimum short version required).
Principle of proportionality added after the Fundamental Principle.
Note against double penalisation between 3.I and 3.E.
New Appendix 3 — ARGUS-Corpus for the coordinated analysis of multiple related texts.
ARGUS Light updated: Appendices 2 and 3 excluded, step 8 mandatory in short version.

Added a cautionary sentence in step 7.c: the term “propaganda” should not be assigned solely because of commitment or asymmetry.
Revised 7.c scale: level 2 renamed “Plea or camp propaganda” with clarified sub-levels.
Enriched step 0.b with textual regimes: plea / manifesto, activist camp text, propaganda.

Added the Principle of Rhetorical Destination.
Added step 0.f (target audience, real audience, and credibility contract).
Added step 3.L (target audience adaptation test).
Enriched step 7.c (target audience consideration, sub-levels, effective/decorative counter-argument).
Added rules 16 and 17.

Added source audit (0.d): analysis of the diversity, reliability, and potential bias of cited sources.
Added production context (0.e): identification of the media outlet, its economic model, and its links to stakeholders.
Added informational circularity test (3.I): verification that sources do not all come from the same ideological ecosystem.
Added comparative treatment analysis (3.J): systematic comparison of vocabulary and treatment of different actors.
Added strategic omissions test (3.K): identification of accessible but absent information that would harm the thesis.
Added propaganda level assessment (7.c): four-level scale, from neutral information to state propaganda.
ARGUS Light: explicit mention that advanced steps (0.d, 0.e, 3.I, 3.J, 3.K, 7.c) are not included in the short version.

Locked the normative link between 0.c and 3.B: it is forbidden to relax the standard of proof during the analysis.
Refined the straw man test (step 1.2) with the principle of charity.
Added a safeguard clause to Rule 14: the ban on loose qualifiers must not penalize an author who expresses legitimate nuance.
Stricter definition of structural omission (step 3.E): the missing element must contradict the conclusion or require a major overhaul of the causal mechanism.

Removed the prompt-based verification mechanism in favor of a warning about AI reliability.
Warning inserted at the end of the analysis, in the Fundamental Principle, the user guide, and the FAQ.
Removed the mention of formatting from the warning.

Fixed the verification mechanism: the AI no longer self-assesses; it invites the user to trigger a verification.
Numbered lists allowed in Rule 15.

Textual genre, standard of proof, severity scale, mandatory qualities section, Step 8 self-critique, ARGUS Light.