Trace the Original Context

Beyond finding better coverage, you may need to trace claims, quotes and media to the source so that you can understand the original context. 

Stories 

Watch this short video of Mike Caulfield explaining how to trace the original source.

 

Often, you can follow links or citations to the original reporting source. This is the source that verified the claims in the first place and this is the source that needs to be reliable. Finding the original source can also help you to see how a claim may have been taken out of context or distorted in subsequent reporting and sharing. 

Images 

Of course, it’s not just written news stories that we need to be able to trace. So much of the media we encounter on the web is visual. With images, you can also trace to the original source. Again, watch this short video of Mike Caulfield explaining how to do a reverse image search. 

 

There are two reliable and easy ways to do a reverse image search: 

1. If you are using Chrome as your internet browser, right click on the image and then click “Search Google for image.” 
2. In any browser, open TinEye.com Links to an external site. in a new tab. Return to the image and right click on it. Click on “Copy image address” then paste that into the TinEye search. 

Look for a reliable source of the image and read further to get the original context. 

In some cases, a misleading image may have been photoshopped. In other cases, the caption or claim associated with an image may lack context or be misleading. By tracing to the original source, you can determine whether the claim is true.