Do many websites repeating a story count as independent confirmation?
Check whether the articles ultimately cite the same origin. Ten retellings may still depend on one source. Map the citation chain before deciding how much independent confirmation exists.
Find the common upstream source
- Identify each article's central claim.
- Record the person, report or announcement cited.
- Compare the origins. Several websites describing an event's new policy may all rely on the same organizer announcement rather than separate observations of its operation.
State what you actually verified
With only the announcement, you can report what the organizer said. You cannot claim participants independently confirmed its effects. To investigate implementation, seek dated records with identifiable first-hand bases. Keep independent observation, official self-description and republication in separate columns. The number of links should not conceal their shared dependence on one underlying account.
A worksheet you can use
Claim: __. Article A origin: __. Article B origin: __. Shared source: __. Independent evidence: __. Suitable wording: __.
Can I share something with only one source?
Where appropriate, attribute it explicitly and preserve what remains unverified instead of presenting consensus.
Evidence and scope
A shared source does not make a claim false; it reduces the number of independent confirmations.
DIG introduces checking beyond a website. This is not a lesson translation. Digital Inquiry Group — Teaching Lateral Reading
Sources and further reading
This collection in Chinese and English · Life possibilities library