Trace a news claim back to its source

Find the original material

A headline or social post often compresses several steps of reporting into one confident sentence. Before accepting or sharing it, identify the specific claim and look for the closest available source: a full interview, public document, research paper, court filing, or statement from the organization involved. A link to another article may be useful context, but it is not the same as the underlying material. Check whether the source contains the quoted passage, what question it answers, and whether the surrounding text changes its meaning. If the original is inaccessible, record that limitation instead of treating a secondhand summary as direct confirmation.

Imagine a post says a new city rule will take effect next week. The post links to a short article, which refers to a council decision. Search the city’s public meeting materials for the decision, then check its date, status, and effective language. The document might show that the council approved a proposal but that implementation depends on a later step. In that case, the broad claim is premature even if the vote itself is real. The example illustrates why a source chain matters: each summary can remove a qualification.

Describe exactly what the evidence shows

Separate what you verified from what remains unclear. Note the source’s date, author or issuing body when available, and the exact passage that supports the claim. Compare an independent source when the matter is consequential, while remembering that several outlets may repeat the same original report. Avoid filling gaps with assumptions about motive or outcome. A careful conclusion can be useful even when it is simply that the available material does not establish the stronger claim.

1. Rewrite the headline as one factual sentence that could be checked.
2. Follow the article’s links to the primary document, recording, dataset, or direct statement if one is available.
3. Read the surrounding context and note the date, status, and any qualifications attached to the evidence.
4. Compare a separate source and label each part as confirmed, disputed, or not established before sharing.