Research Guides: Democracy 101 @ CSU: SIFT: Trace Claims to Original Context

Michael Schwartz Library

SIFT: Trace Claims to Original Context

What is the SIFT Method? Learn more from the creator, Mike Caufield, before watching the videos below.

Unfortunately, many of the sources that you encounter online are not original content -- they're stories that are being re-reported or commented on. This makes some of the other steps of SIFT more difficult because the context of the information (and, sometimes, the information itself) is altered when it is re-shared. To address this problem, you may need to trace claims to their original context.

Practice: Beer Tax
Practice your source investigation skills with this example. Continue to the next page in the linked course to see a discussion of this example.
Practice: Guns in Schools
Practice your source investigation skills with this example. Continue to the next page in the linked course to see a discussion of this example.
Observation Challenge
First Draft. See if you can determine where the photo was taken.
Geolocation Challenge
First Draft. See if you can use maps to determine if an image is credible.
Spot the Troll
Review a brief selection of posts from a single social media account and decide if each is an authentic account or a professional troll.

Tools for Verifying Claims, Images, & Locations
Reverse Image Search in Google
Use the URL of an image to check Google Images
Google Street View
Useful for identifying the background/location of an image or video
10 Tips for Verifying Viral Social Media Videos
IFCN Poynter
Check the Date
Break down of this strategy on Mike Caufield's blog