Common correction and newsroom transparency problems
Correction problems include silent edits, vague notices, weak prominence, partial channel repair, deleted evidence, false updates, and missing ownership.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
News Cod
News literacy in practice: verifying a claim, reading a source, spotting a manipulated image, and knowing when the honest answer is that nobody knows yet.
Correction, clarification, update, note, and retraction compared
Correction types compared across factual errors, clarifications, updates, editor's notes, apologies, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and retractions.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Actor awards search: how to assess a claim
Actor awards search: check a claim against the body's published list, matching body, year, category, and result; say clearly when you cannot verify it.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
How to Write Newsroom Correction Notices and Publish Them
Learn how to write newsroom correction notices, publish fixes across channels, notify people harmed, and log approvals and channel confirmations.
Sofia B. Hayes · 7 min read · Read →
How to handle corrections and newsroom transparency after an error report
A practical guide to newsroom corrections and transparency: take error reports, log and verify them, choose labels, write notices, and repair every channel.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a crisis casualty count
Casualty count correction case showing how a newsroom fixes a merged disaster toll, updates every channel, explains source overlap, and changes its workflow.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Common breaking news verification problems
Breaking news verification problems include recycled media, merged casualty counts, premature cause, alert confusion, unsafe sourcing, and silent updates.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Rapid crisis verification checklist for the first hour
Rapid crisis verification checklist for authority, alerts, place, time, live media, casualty figures, protective instructions, update ownership, and corrections.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Breaking news evidence channels compared
Breaking news evidence channels compared across alerts, sensors, dispatch, command, hospitals, witnesses, user media, preliminary reports, and final findings.
Lucas B. Hughes · 9 min read · Read →
How to verify an unfolding emergency claim
Emergency claim verification workflow for urgent alerts, jurisdiction checks, source callbacks, location, live media, public safety wording, and timed updates.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
How newsrooms verify breaking news and crisis claims with an incident ledger and five tracks
Breaking news and crisis claims: one incident ledger, consequence triage, authority mapping, alert fields, five verification tracks and reconciliation.
Sofia B. Hayes · 7 min read · Read →
Fictional case: how a newsroom corrects a false emergency report based on an impersonating voice
Fictional case: a newsroom corrects a false emergency alert based on an impersonating voice with correction wording, failed callback verification, and audit table.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Common synthetic media reporting problems
Synthetic media reporting problems include detector overclaiming, artifact guessing, provenance confusion, false context, unsafe sharing, and vague corrections.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Synthetic media verification checklist for suspicious footage
Synthetic media verification checklist for claim framing, evidence preservation, source contact, provenance, context, forensic review, and publication controls.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Synthetic media evidence types compared, and what each proves
Synthetic media evidence types compared across provenance, source access, context, file metadata, forensic artifacts, detector scores, and corroboration.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
How to verify suspected AI images, video, and audio
A verifier's order of work for suspected AI media is to preserve the original file, confirm the person, check the event, then test the artifacts.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Synthetic media verification for reporters: evidence lanes and bounded findings
A guide for reporters: define a synthetic media claim, preserve files, sort evidence into four lanes, use detectors cautiously, and publish a bounded finding.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a premature election winner claim
A fictional county race shows how incomplete unofficial returns produce a false winner call, and how a newsroom repairs headline, card and alerts.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Common election and political reporting problems
Election reporting problems explained, including premature winner claims, turnout math, audit and recount confusion, finance errors, and unsupported fraud labels.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Election claim checklist: security, finance and polls
An election claim checklist for claims that are not about counted votes: campaign finance, security incidents, polls and court filings, with records to open.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Election and political evidence types compared
Election evidence types compared across returns, projections, canvass, certification, audits, recounts, filings, lawsuits, polls, and campaign speech.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
EPA Water Quality Reports: How to Verify a Local Utility's Boil-Water Notice
How to read a utility's consumer confidence report and SDWIS record to confirm or debunk a local boil-water or contamination claim, step by step.
Lucas B. Hughes · 4 min read · Read →
How to verify a political video before you share it: trace, then label
Trace a political video to its earliest upload, read the end card and campaign accounts, then pick an honest label: campaign, unattributed or unverified.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
How to Verify a Canadian Government Benefit Payment Date Claim
Match each federal benefit to CRA or Service Canada, check the official payment calendar, and treat unverified ATIP or political ads as unproven.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
How to Verify a Police Scanner Claim Before Publishing
Learn how to verify police scanner claim reports with dispatch logs, blotters, jail rosters and court dockets before publishing.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
How to Verify a US or Canadian Amber Alert Text Before You Forward It
How to check a US or Canadian Amber Alert text before forwarding: sender, official feeds, provincial coordinators, and the scam signals that fail every test.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
How to check a viral election claim: 12 verification steps
A 12-step workflow to check a viral election claim: preserve posts, find the jurisdiction, ask officials, verify media and numbers, and check court records.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
Election claim checking: a practical guide
Election claim checking starts with jurisdiction and count stage, then verifies results, campaign filings, lawsuits and official statements against records.
Sofia B. Hayes · 9 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a complaint reported as a ruling
Court record correction case showing how a newsroom mistakes complaint allegations for a ruling, reconstructs the docket, rewrites the story, and fixes each surface.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Common public record reporting problems, and how to avoid them
Public record reporting problems explained, from mistaken status and missing versions to weak searches, unsupported redaction claims, citations, and lost context.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Weather and disaster reporting problems and fixes
Radar overclaims, stale warnings and merged authorities change what readers do, so each fix starts with naming the product and its issue time.
Lucas B. Hughes · 4 min read · Read →
Public document verification checklist before you quote it
Public document checklist for provenance, identity, type, status, version, completeness, authenticity, context, redactions, calculations, citation, and review.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
PACER vs State Court Dockets: Which Should You Check First?
PACER vs state court dockets decides where a case record lives and what it costs. Federal filings are centralized and paid; state lookups vary by county.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Public document types and statuses compared
Public document types compared across bills, laws, proposed and final rules, notices, guidance, filings, pleadings, orders, minutes, audits, and archival records.
Sofia B. Hayes · 7 min read · Read →
Is That ATIP Response Real? How to Verify Access to Information Records
Learn how to verify access to information request records from Canadian federal and provincial portals. Check release letters, exemptions, and file numbers.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Elections Canada vs Provincial Commissions: Where to Verify Campaign Finance Claims
To verify campaign finance claim Canada, use the right database. Federal and provincial filings are searched separately, and errors carry real costs.
Sofia B. Hayes · 8 min read · Read →
EPA Water Quality Reports: A Verification Checklist for Local Claims
Verify an EPA water quality report before repeating a local claim. Use ECHO, state portals, and Clean Water Act standards to confirm what the data shows.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Verify PACER Court Filing Screenshots: Check the PDF
To verify PACER court filing screenshots, compare the case number, filing date, judge, cited page, and current status with the live docket and filed document.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
How to Verify a Product Recall Claim Before You Report It
Verify product recall claim before you report it by checking CPSC, FDA and NHTSA records, not the press release. Questions and red flags for editors.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
School Board Meeting Claims: Check the Agenda and Minutes Before Sharing
School Board Meeting Claims: verify the agenda and minutes before you share. Texas and California open meetings deadlines, draft minute risks, and what to wait for.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
5 Checks for a State Bill Signing Claim Before You Report It
Verify bill signing claim with five checks against state legislature bill status pages, governor veto records, and official enacted laws databases online.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Verify Statistics Canada Claim: What It Costs
See what it costs to verify Statistics Canada claim numbers—from free LFS data to illustrative software, training, and review expenses.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Verify Student Loan Forgiveness Claim: Official Sources
To verify student loan forgiveness claim details, check named federal programs and laws, Federal Student Aid, and the state agency that administers the program.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
What CDC and FDA datasets actually say about health claims
CDC and FDA datasets describe populations over set periods, so a viral number usually misreads what the underlying survey data measures about health trends.
Sofia B. Hayes · 10 min read · Read →
3 places to check a Chicago police scanner claim against city records
A Chicago police scanner claim needs three record sets to stand up: Cook County court dockets, City Council agendas, and CPD incident reports.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
How US political ad deepfakes meet FEC disclaimers, platform policies, and C2PA checks
This article explains how US political ad deepfakes relate to FEC disclaimers, advisory opinions, platform policies, C2PA provenance, and NIST benchmarks.
Lucas B. Hughes · 12 min read · Read →
How to request public records, step by step
Learn how to request public records step by step: name the office, the record series, the custodian, and the date range before you file.
Lucas B. Hughes · 8 min read · Read →
Is a TMZ clip real? Los Angeles celebrity claim verification
Los Angeles celebrity claim verification starts with the original TMZ upload, then checks video context, court access, local records, and source claims.
Sofia B. Hayes · 8 min read · Read →
AI synthetic media claims: a verification checklist for tools and viral media
A checklist for verifying AI synthetic media claims: what vendor evidence, NIST evaluations, C2PA Content Credentials and detector scores can show, plus steps for checking a viral clip itself.
Lucas B. Hughes · 12 min read · Read →
State public records compared: California, Texas, and New York request rules
State public records request rules differ sharply across California, Texas, and New York, from 10-day deadlines to attorney general rulings and FOIL appeals.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
How to check US Canada border and trade claims with CBP and Census data
A guide to checking US Canada border and trade claims with Census trade tables and CBP data, covering units, source vintages and four common failure modes.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
How US defamation law and the First Amendment shape what you can share
US defamation law First Amendment rules decide what you can safely share: actual malice, the fair report privilege, Section 230, and state anti-SLAPP statutes.
Sofia B. Hayes · 12 min read · Read →
How to verify a disaster claim with NOAA and FEMA data in Houston and Miami
Verify disaster claims with NOAA and FEMA records: hurricane advisories, storm reports and OpenFEMA declarations for Houston and Miami posts.
Lucas B. Hughes · 10 min read · Read →
How to check US election claims with FEC filings, county clerks, and state offices
Match each US election claim to its record: FEC filings for campaign money, county clerk pages for raw returns, state portals for certified totals.
Lucas B. Hughes · 12 min read · Read →
Government Records Verification: Status and Context
Government records verification checks provenance, status, version and context, then preserves the citation another reader needs to retrace a claim.
Sofia B. Hayes · 9 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a retracted health study story
Retracted health study correction case showing how a coding error invalidates a result and how a newsroom repairs its headline, chart, archives, and social claims.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a false survey trend and chart
Survey correction case showing how a newsroom finds an unsupported trend, checks margins of error and wording, repairs a chart, and publishes a complete correction.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a fake emergency-agency account
Emergency-account correction case tracing a lookalike profile, false evacuation claim, unsafe link, newsroom alert error, public repair, and prevention controls.
Sofia B. Hayes · 4 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting an old flood video labeled as current
Flood video correction case tracing an old clip through reposts, geolocation, shadow and construction clues, source contact, publication repair, and prevention.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Fictional case: correcting a circular citation that became a fact
Circular citation correction case showing how one unsupported claim spread across reports, passed weak checks, and required a transparent article-wide repair.
Sofia B. Hayes · 4 min read · Read →
Common science and health reporting problems
Science and health reporting problems explained, including causal overreach, relative-risk framing, surrogate outcomes, product status, and image claims.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Common statistics and chart reporting problems
Statistics and chart reporting problems explained, from missing denominators and uncertain estimates to distorted axes, weak poll questions, and false causal claims.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
Common social verification problems and how to fix them
Ten verification problems that let false posts through, each with the check that catches it, from badge trust to copied posts and hacked accounts.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Common visual verification problems and how to fix them
Nine visual verification problems, from baseline screenshots to detector confidence scores, with the specific check that resolves each one before publication.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
8 Source Evaluation Mistakes That Distort a Fact-Check
Eight source evaluation mistakes can distort a fact-check, from outlet ratings and copy-counting to false certainty. Learn the warning signs and fixes.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Account and viral-claim verification checklist
Account and viral-claim checklist for preservation, identity, control, badges, origin, reposts, links, evidence, coordination, safety, publication, and correction.
Lucas B. Hughes · 4 min read · Read →
How to audit a poll or survey story before you cite it
Poll audit workflow for sponsor, population, sample, recruitment, fieldwork, questions, weighting, uncertainty, subgroup comparisons, headlines, and corrections.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
How to check an unfamiliar account and viral post
Use independent contact routes, platform history, reverse-image tools, and primary records to verify a social media account and viral post before sharing.
Sofia B. Hayes · 7 min read · Read →
How to verify an online source: a framework
Use this framework to verify an online source: identify its publisher, read laterally, trace key evidence, and record what remains unresolved.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Evidence source types compared: firsthand accounts, records, experts and reports
Evidence source types compared by proximity, scope, independence, strengths, limits, and best uses for checking events, numbers, causes, and quotations.
Sofia B. Hayes · 4 min read · Read →
A visual geolocation workflow for place and time
This visual geolocation workflow shows how to match a photo or clip to a place, narrow its date, and report what the evidence can and cannot support.
Lucas B. Hughes · 7 min read · Read →
Health research evidence types compared, from trials to case reports
Health research evidence types compared across laboratory work, case reports, observational studies, trials, qualitative research, and systematic reviews.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
How to audit a clinical study story before it runs
Audit a clinical study story by pulling the paper, protocol and registry record, then checking every claim, number and quote against the data.
Sofia B. Hayes · 7 min read · Read →
Image and video verification checklist for the desk
Image and video verification checklist for preservation, source identity, origin, metadata, location, time, editing, provenance, safety, credit, and publication.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Image and video verification: a practical guide
Image and video verification means separating origin, place, time and edit into distinct claims, then testing each against records before you publish.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Science health news verification: a practical guide
Science health news verification: trace a claim through the paper, trial record, supplement, correction notice and FDA product record before repeating it.
Sofia B. Hayes · 9 min read · Read →
Science and health story sign-off checklist for editors
A science and health story sign-off checklist for editors: test the draft wording, regulator terms, evidence base and visuals before a health claim runs.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Social account identity signals compared
Social account identity signals compared across badges, profile labels, official links, history, direct confirmation, posting patterns, and platform limits.
Sofia B. Hayes · 6 min read · Read →
Source and claim verification checklist for reporters
Source and claim verification checklist for scope, origin, authority, evidence, independence, quotations, numbers, conflicts, response, wording, and corrections.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Source evaluation guide: mapping claims
This source evaluation guide shows how to split compound claims, test evidence by claim type, trace images and records, and judge source authority.
Lucas B. Hughes · 6 min read · Read →
Counts, percentages, rates, indexes, and averages compared
Statistical measures compared across counts, proportions, percentages, rates, ratios, indexes, means, medians, change measures, and seasonal adjustment.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Chart verification checklist: the reviewer's sign-off
A chart verification checklist for the person who signs off: what the reviewer receives, reproduces and checks before a chart, caption and headline go out.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Statistics Verification Guide: A Reading Framework
This statistics verification guide offers a framework for tracing figures, judging uncertainty, reviewing surveys, and checking what charts support.
Lucas B. Hughes · 5 min read · Read →
Visual verification methods compared, from reverse search to metadata
Visual verification methods compared across reverse search, source interviews, metadata, geolocation, chronolocation, provenance, and forensic analysis.
Sofia B. Hayes · 5 min read · Read →
Start here
Guides
How to handle corrections and newsroom transparency after an error report
A practical guide to newsroom corrections and transparency: take error reports, log and verify them, choose labels, write notices, and repair every channel.
Guides
How newsrooms verify breaking news and crisis claims with an incident ledger and five tracks
Breaking news and crisis claims: one incident ledger, consequence triage, authority mapping, alert fields, five verification tracks and reconciliation.
Guides
Synthetic media verification for reporters: evidence lanes and bounded findings
A guide for reporters: define a synthetic media claim, preserve files, sort evidence into four lanes, use detectors cautiously, and publish a bounded finding.
Guides
Election claim checking: a practical guide
Election claim checking starts with jurisdiction and count stage, then verifies results, campaign filings, lawsuits and official statements against records.
Guides
What CDC and FDA datasets actually say about health claims
CDC and FDA datasets describe populations over set periods, so a viral number usually misreads what the underlying survey data measures about health trends.
Guides
3 places to check a Chicago police scanner claim against city records
A Chicago police scanner claim needs three record sets to stand up: Cook County court dockets, City Council agendas, and CPD incident reports.
Latest from News Cod
Rules
Common correction and newsroom transparency problems
Correction problems include silent edits, vague notices, weak prominence, partial channel repair, deleted evidence, false updates, and missing ownership.
Reviews
Correction, clarification, update, note, and retraction compared
Correction types compared across factual errors, clarifications, updates, editor's notes, apologies, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and retractions.
Guides
Actor awards search: how to assess a claim
Actor awards search: check a claim against the body's published list, matching body, year, category, and result; say clearly when you cannot verify it.
Guides
How to Write Newsroom Correction Notices and Publish Them
Learn how to write newsroom correction notices, publish fixes across channels, notify people harmed, and log approvals and channel confirmations.