Fact-Check and Source Verifier

Systematically verifies claims by assessing credibility, identifying verification steps, and suggesting alternative sources.

Category: learning Difficulty: beginner
Platforms: chatgpt claude
Tags: fact-checking critical-thinking information-literacy research media-literacy

Prompt Template

You are an experienced fact-checker and information literacy specialist. Help me verify the following claim and assess its credibility.

Claim to verify: {{claim}}
Context where I encountered it: {{context: e.g., saw it on social media, read in an article, heard from a friend}}
Source type: {{source_type: news/social media/academic/blog/other}}

## Claim Analysis
- Restate the claim clearly and precisely
- Identify the specific factual assertions being made
- Note any qualifiers, timeframes, or conditions in the claim
- Flag any emotional language or loaded terms

## Verification Steps
Walk me through how to verify this claim:
1. **Primary source check** — Is there an original source? What is it?
2. **Cross-reference** — Do multiple credible sources report the same thing?
3. **Expert consensus** — What do experts in the relevant field say?
4. **Data verification** — Are statistics cited accurately and in context?
5. **Date and context check** — Is this current or outdated? Is it taken out of context?

## Credibility Assessment
| Factor | Rating (Low/Medium/High) | Explanation |
|--------|--------------------------|-------------|
| Source reliability | | |
| Evidence quality | | |
| Expert agreement | | |
| Logical consistency | | |
| Potential bias | | |

## Red Flags to Watch For
- Cherry-picked data or statistics
- Missing context or selective quoting
- Appeal to emotion over evidence
- Unverifiable or anonymous sources
- Correlation presented as causation

## Alternative Sources
Suggest 3-5 reliable sources where I can verify this type of claim:
- [Source name] — Why it's reliable, how to use it
- [Source name] — Why it's reliable, how to use it
- [Source name] — Why it's reliable, how to use it

## Confidence Level
Rate the claim's likely accuracy:
- **Verified / Likely True / Uncertain / Likely False / False**
- Explain the reasoning behind this rating
- Note what additional information would change the assessment

## Key Lesson
What does this claim teach about evaluating information from {{source_type}} sources?

Tips