Emergency fact-checking: step-by-step instructions and tools

In today’s information flow, fakes spread faster than facts, especially in emergency situations. Erroneous publication of such content can seriously damage a reputation. How can you quickly and effectively separate truth from fiction when time for verification is limited? This guide offers a clear algorithm and a set of tools for emergency fact-checking.

• Find primary sources

For each statement, it is necessary to find the primary source — the very first point from which the information originates. The primary source may be an official document, an eyewitness interview, a video or audio recording, a study, a statement by a specific person, a press release. It is necessary to find the original mention, since facts are often distorted when reprinted and retold multiple times. Depending on the type of information and the subject of the text, the primary sources may be different:

– official statements by government officials are checked on the portals of government services and relevant ministries

– scientific research — in databases of scientific publications and in libraries (Web Of Science, ResearchGate)

– official documents, laws, regulations — reference legal systems (Westlaw)

– medical information — official websites of medical systems and organizations (WHO, PubMed)

– information on social research — on the websites of research organizations (Pew Research Center)

– statistical data — on the websites of statistical agencies (UN, Statista)

– statements by organizations and opinions of individuals — on official websites, in the media.

It is important to note that media reports can only be relied upon if they are provided with irrefutable evidence: video and audio footage, an original interview, or other information obtained directly from the source. However, you should not skip the step of independently double-checking the evidence provided. For example, if an article provides a link to material from a third-party site, it is better to double-check the information on that site and make sure that it is the original source.

The main tool for finding web sources is search engines. However, there are some nuances when using search engines. In particular, you cannot stop at just one request. It is important to check as many different combinations as possible. To view specific sites in Google for periods of time, use advanced search options. To refine your requests, use search operators.

• Look for additional information on social media

Sometimes certain information is difficult to find in official sources, but can be found on social media. For example, if you want to know where an incident occurred, you can look for mentions of it in the comments under posts with news about it.

It is important to remember that when working with social networks, there are risks associated with the ease of creating fake accounts that can spread false information. In addition, in social networks, people are more likely to exaggerate and be inaccurate in presenting facts. Therefore, the information found must be checked especially carefully. Before referring to a source on a social network:

– find out when the account was created — new pages are sometimes created for disinformation and fraud;
– study the page’s audience — a large number of bots and dubious accounts may be associated with cheating;

– analyze the user’s activity — who they follow, what they write about, what communities they are a part of;

– look for the user’s accounts on other social networks;

Be sure to compare the information you find with what you already know. If significant contradictions arise during the comparison process, then it is worth studying the situation in more detail. Read the instructions for more information on how to distinguish a fake account from a real profile.

You can search for information in social networks using thematic queries through the search bar of the platforms. On some platforms, you can narrow the search — specify the source, year, city, message format. In some social networks, you can search for information using hashtags or by geolocation. Searching through specialized platforms (Google Social Search, TGStat) can also be effective.

• Learn information in foreign sources (if you have time)

For some facts, it is useful to look for confirmation in foreign sources. You can find information even without knowing a foreign language. Using online translators, you can translate the search query and the materials found.

It is important to remember that when working with foreign sources, you need to check the information for relevance to the final target audience. This is especially true for legal issues, geopolitical and socio-cultural context. Read more about how to avoid mistakes when checking information from another country in the material.

• Make sure your sources are reliable

Before referring to the source you found, check how much you can trust it. To do this, you should answer the following questions:

– How long has the site been around?

– Is it official?

– Is it considered expert and objective?

– Can third-party users edit the information?

To clarify specific data about sites, you can also use special services that:

You can use special services to check the sites from which you plan to take information. For example:

– help find out the date of registration of the resource, registrar data, contact information of the owner (Who is);

– check the “authority” of the domain considering the number of backlinks (Ahrefs);

– evaluate DA/PA indicators, meaning the strength of the site and the strength of the page and affecting the site rating (Ettvi);

– show the trust of the site, evaluating the link profile (MegaIndex);

– analyze the traffic and traffic of the site (PR-CY);

– allow you to see what the site looked like before and what materials it published (Archive.org).

It is important to note that when visiting official websites, you need to be extremely careful with the address bar. There are phishing sites and fraudulent clones that can be very similar to popular web resources, but at the same time distribute false information or malicious content. As a rule, such sites use fake addresses — the domain may differ in the absence of individual letters or the presence of additional characters.

If you refer to a specific author as a source, make sure that it is not a fake, but a real person. Try to check the qualifications of the source, look at his personal blog, social media accounts. Look for other materials by this author, check their reliability. For example, you can search for data about a person using the Webmii service, which searches for online mentions of a name in various sources.

Checking information even in limited conditions is a systematic process. None of these steps separately will give a 100% guarantee, but together they form a reliable protective barrier against fakes. Make this checklist your habit. Over time, you will bring these actions to automatism and will be able to conduct a basic check in a matter of minutes, saving the most valuable things — time and reputation.