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ENG 130 - English Comp (DiDomenico): Trace Claim Back to its Source

T: Trace Claim, Quote, or Media Back to the Source

Trace the claim, quote, or media back to the source, so you can see it in its original context and get a sense if the version you saw was accurately presented.

Example - Sunscreen

Consider this tweet

John is tweeting his takeaway from this article on sunscreen (or at least his takeaway from the article headline).

Questions:

  • Does the tweet accurately represent the original article?

Example - Beer Tax

Take a look at the tweet below:

You see multiple sources here, but what's the original research source? Click through until you find the original report.

Once you find the original report answer two questions in your fact-checking notebook:

  • What is the reputation of the organization or person producing the report? How credible are they on this claim?
  • What's the 1,000 people dying about? How does an alcohol tax affect that?

Example - Vaping

Checking a Tweeted Statistic

 "galluprights.” YouTube, uploaded by d'Alzon Library, 18 June 2019, https://youtu.be/jVuo4KJ-5LE. 2:51 minutes

Verifying Photos & Videos

 "Evaluating Photos & Videos: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #7.” YouTube, uploaded by d'Alzon Library, 18 June 2019, https://youtu.be/p7uvqb8fcdA. 13:18 minutes, can skip to 6:00 for an example.