Freeze the claim before searching
Write the exact factual claim, who made it, when it was published, and what would count as evidence. A vague search for the headline invites confirmation bias and makes it easy to substitute a related fact for the original assertion. Preserve a link or screenshot while respecting privacy and copyright.
Trace references upstream
Open the cited report, video, dataset, court filing, speech, or interview rather than relying on a summary. Check whether the date, location, sample, and quoted words match the claim. A source can be authentic and still be used outside its original context.
Look for independent access
Ten articles repeating one wire report are not ten independent confirmations. Identify whether another newsroom, institution, or witness obtained separate evidence. Also search for credible disconfirmation, corrections, and reasons why direct evidence may be unavailable.
Publish the limits with the conclusion
Use calibrated language: confirmed by a named record, supported by multiple independent reports, plausible but unverified, contradicted by available evidence, or unresolved. Record what would change the assessment. A transparent “not yet known” is more useful than a confident label without a chain of evidence.
Good verification keeps the uncertainty attached
The result should show the claim, the strongest evidence, independent corroboration, contradictions, date, and what remains unknown.
Further reading: UNESCO media and information literacy curriculum. External references are provided for context and do not imply affiliation.