Where Did This Come From?

A screenshot, a quote or a statistic often arrives with no source. Stop and ask where it came from before you judge it or pass it on. Who made it, when, and for what purpose? Is there an original record, or only a copy of a copy?

Fact-checkers use lateral reading. Instead of studying a page in depth, they open new tabs and ask what others say about it: who runs this site, has anyone checked this claim, what do independent sources report? A page can look professional and still be a front for a cause.

You do not need to settle every claim, only decide how much weight to give it. A few minutes of tracing often shows a claim is old, out of context, or has no source. If you cannot find the source, treat it as a rumor and say so if you share it.

The viral quote

A post shows a famous author’s portrait and a wise-sounding line about courage. It has been shared ten thousand times. Nobody in the replies asks where the line appears in her work.

A reader searches the line with the author’s name and finds that no book or speech contains it, and that it first appeared on a quote site five years ago. The post was popular and unsourced, and the reader’s comment says so.

Try this today Before you share a quote, image or number, spend two minutes finding where it first appeared.