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Following a web claim back to its source

Five webpages repeating the same claim may lead back to one original report. Lateral reading looks beyond an unfamiliar page to investigate its publisher; following links upstream helps reveal where the evidence began.

8–10 min

Questions you could explore

  • What can other sources reveal about who published a webpage?
  • Do several reports add new evidence or repeat the same original source?
  • What remains uncertain after a claim has been traced to its origin?

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Media and information

What makes a historical source primary?

A diary and a history book stand in different relationships to the past, but neither is automatically beyond question. What counts as a primary source also depends on what you are trying to find out.

3–5 min

What makes a historical source primary?

Media and information3–5 minA diary and a history book stand in different relationships to the past, but neither is automatically beyond question. What counts as a primary source also depends on what you are trying to find out.

Media and information

What can a photo’s metadata actually prove?

An image file may carry a date, camera information, or a caption alongside its pixels. Those details can be useful clues, but some can be changed or removed as a file is edited and shared.

4–5 min

What can a photo’s metadata actually prove?

Media and information4–5 minAn image file may carry a date, camera information, or a caption alongside its pixels. Those details can be useful clues, but some can be changed or removed as a file is edited and shared.

Media and information

When should a scientific paper be corrected or retracted?

A published paper can acquire a notice explaining that something was wrong. The question is whether the problem can be corrected while the findings remain usable, or whether readers should stop relying on them.

4–5 min

When should a scientific paper be corrected or retracted?

Media and information4–5 minA published paper can acquire a notice explaining that something was wrong. The question is whether the problem can be corrected while the findings remain usable, or whether readers should stop relying on them.

Following a web claim back to its source | Speech Topic | speaking.app