Verification guide
A score can prompt a question. Evidence answers it.
Use this checklist before sharing a consequential claim, regardless of whether automated signals appear reassuring or concerning.
Six checks
Build a verification trail
The goal is not to find a source that agrees with you. It is to establish where the claim came from and whether its evidence survives scrutiny.
Find the original
Trace screenshots, reposts, and summaries back to the first available publication or primary document.
Check the date and context
Old reporting and genuine images are often reshared as if they describe a new event.
Inspect the evidence
Open linked reports, datasets, court filings, or transcripts. Confirm that they support the article’s central claim.
Compare independent coverage
Look for reporting from outlets with separate ownership, sourcing, and editorial processes.
Verify media separately
Search key frames and images independently; captions do not prove where or when media was captured.
Read beyond the headline
Headlines compress nuance. Confirm that the body, quotations, and source material say the same thing.