Adverse Media
Negative mentions of a person or company in the media and open sources: publications about investigations, disputes, sanctions, fraud. A standard component of compliance checks.
Practical significance
The value of adverse media lies not in the negative fact itself, but in its verification: who the primary source is, whether the statement was confirmed, how the story ended. An unverified mention, replicated by aggregators, can damage a person's profile for years without grounds.
Where it is used
- KYC and bank onboarding
- reputational checks
- PEP and sanctions screening
- counterparty checks
What the term does not mean
The existence of a negative publication does not mean an established fact of wrongdoing: adverse media is a signal for verification, not a verdict.
How it differs from «Source Confidence»
Adverse media is a type of content; source confidence is a method for assessing its reliability. The latter determines the weight of the former. More about this term
Illustrative example
Screening returns "connection to an investigation." Verification of the primary source shows: the person appeared as a witness, the case was closed eight years ago - the wording for the bank changes entirely.
Related terms, services and guides
Definition verified 2 August 2026
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