Fact-checking · 3/6

Check time and version

Separate event, publication, applicability and verification dates.

About 15–20 minutes. The following cases are fictional.

Record your first judgment

An old swimming-pool notice says it will close for three days this week. Someone shares it today, but it was issued for maintenance last year.

My initial judgment, confidence and reasons

Understand the judgment process

An accurate old notice may not describe today. Separate the event, publication, applicability interval and checking time. Reposting does not update the original scope.

A page update can concern a template or contact details. Look for substantive revision notes, version numbers and superseding material. Archives help inspect past content, but capture dates are not event dates or a complete history.

For changing facts, qualify conclusions by date and version. Before treating newer and older material as contradictory, compare place, product and population.

Checks you can perform

Record event, publication, applicability and checking times.
Look for revisions and replacements.
Compare place, population and version.
Bound the conclusion to checked conditions.

Guided practice

Should the pool notice be called fabricated merely because it is old?

My analysis and checking plan

Explore the explanation

No. If authentic, say it concerns last year’s maintenance and does not establish this week’s closure. Check current notices or contact the venue for present status.

Apply it in a new context

Version 2.0 lacks a format; 3.0 release notes add it. Does this establish someone lied?

My independent response

Compare after attempting

No. Versions explain the change. Check the target version plus plan, platform and activation conditions.

Preserve a revision record

What changed your judgment? What still supports it? When will you review?

Failure to find a new notice establishes neither indefinite validity of the old one nor a definite change.

Check whether you supplied inspectable evidence, a feasible next step and revision conditions. Revealing an answer is not mastery.

Source and scope

Reuters — Journalistic Standards

The source provides conceptual or methodological background. Cases, steps and exercises are authored here; they are not the original experiment or evidence of this course’s effectiveness.

I have completed this section; uncheck to undo

Completion is a personal record, not proof of mastery or certification.