What it is
A structural test: does the author of an outcome have a financial position in who learns about it first?
A news wire that sells a faster feed is old and ordinary. The wire reports the weather; the reporter didn’t make the storm. The problem is different when the person selling early notice is the one causing the event. Then they aren’t selling the forecast. They’re selling a few instants of lead time on the rain, and they own the sky. It only requires that we let the person who makes the weather sell umbrellas, and then act surprised.
How it shows up for me
I use it on markets, on politics, and on platforms that both set the rules and sell the tools for following them.