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9 min · research

Fact-check a social claim before you share

Goal: Before reshare or briefing, verify social claims on a calm worksheet—screenshots are not proof.

Best for: Before reposting numbers, screenshots, or urgent-sounding news.

Social posts optimize for emotion, not evidence. Your loop restates the claim, names what would prove it, picks a primary source type, and labels Rumor when only posts exist. Models help structure the loop; they must not invent links.

Fact-check means find the primary claim, find a primary source, then judge. Screenshots alone are not sources.

Why beginners skip this

Reposting what you just scrolled past feels like a stance—without source tiers, claims drag you into misinformation. Verify before share.

Step 1 — Mini loop prompt

Before reshare, run a mini fact-check loop on one social claim; if it will not verify, delete—no “post then check.”

Claim: [paste]
1) Restate the claim in one sentence
2) What evidence would prove or disprove it
3) Best primary source type to open (official blog, regulator, company pricing, court docket, etc.)
4) If only social posts exist, label Rumor
Do not invent links. If you suggest a URL pattern, mark it as a guess to verify.

Step 2 — “Doubles prices tomorrow” screenshot

Example

Filled prompt

Claim: “Slow down viral claims with a mini verification” Write a fact-check worksheet: claim paraphrase, where first seen, primary source search plan, verdict options (true/false/mixed/unverified). Do not invent a ban.

What good output looks like

  • Claim pack lists sources for “Slow down viral claims with a mini verification lo”
  • Primary tab opened before share
  • Unknowns labeled; no vibe citations
  • Pass/fail: one primary URL saved

Step 3 — Share / wait / correct

  • Share only after a primary source confirms.
  • If wrong, correct in-thread; do not silently delete without a note when people already saw it.
  • Pair with the 1-minute verify ritual for numbers and quotes.
Draft a 2-sentence correction if the claim was false. No sarcasm. Link the primary source I provide: [url].
Example

Filled prompt

Viral post claims Vendor X free tier includes unlimited images.
Factcheck ritual: claim → primary → support/refute/Unknown. No share until primary open.

What good output looks like

  • Primary tab opened before share
  • Unknowns labeled; no vibe citations
  • Pass/fail: one primary URL saved
  • Claim pack lists sources for “Slow down viral claims with a mini verification lo”

Save this card

Card: A screenshot is not proof; unverified claims default to no reshare. Keep this beside the tool; read before you start.

Before you start

Open a blank claim pack. One claim about “Slow down viral claims with a mini verification” plus a slot for a primary URL. Chat citations are not enough. Guide: research-factcheck-social-claims. Keep the real job visible the whole time; a blank box means stop and fetch the artifact first.

How to use this week

This week write a source tier beside three real social claims; rumors and unverified stay unshared.

Close the week by quoting aloud the refuse line you actually used once. If you cannot, rerun Practice now and date the pass/fail (Asia/Shanghai).

Keep it real

Run this guide’s Practice now on work you will actually ship this week—not a fictional scenario. Dated notes beat perfect theory.

Screenshot ≠ source

Viral images need a primary page. No page → Unverified → no share.

Do not bookmark-only

Finish Practice now, then tick this guide on your path. Titles unread are not skills.

Close the loop

Write one line: next time I repost with no source tier, I refuse.

One more pass

Re-read your Save-this-card line. If it is vague, rewrite it until a stranger could apply it.

Example

Filled prompt

Viral: "Model Y free tier now includes private SSO."
Claim → primary (pricing/changelog) → support/refute/Unknown.
No share until primary open.

What good output looks like

  • Unknowns labeled; no vibe citations
  • Claim pack lists sources for “Slow down viral claims with a mini verification lo”
  • Pass/fail: one primary URL saved
  • Primary tab opened before share

Red flag

Screenshot as proof; reshare without the mini loop—default to no reshare.

Pitfalls

PitfallFix
Asking the model “is this true?” onlyOpen a primary tab yourself
Invented citation listsBan invented URLs
Debunking with more screenshotsPrefer official text
Speed-reposting for engagementReputation > velocity
Example

Filled prompt

Temptation: skip the habit for research-factcheck-social-claims to save five minutes.
Job still: Slow down viral claims with a mini
Smallest correct pass: Done visible · checkable artifact · Unknowns [?].
Boundaries: draft only; no silent send; no invented metrics.
Return: artifact + refuse-line said aloud.

What good output looks like

  • Names the shortcut refused (specific to research-factcheck-social-claims)
  • Still delivers checkable output for “Slow down viral claims with a mini”
  • Unknowns labeled; draft-only
  • Pass/fail: refuse-line dated (research-factcheck-social-claims #4)

Field note: run one live pass this week that proves—A screenshot is not proof; unverified claims default to no reshare. Date the pass/fail (Asia/Shanghai); bookmarks do not count.

Practice now

Screenshot provenance: save source URL with the shot (Asia/Shanghai).

Origin chase: find the earliest primary post/doc (Asia/Shanghai).

Factcheck drill: one social claim → primary source or cut (Asia/Shanghai).

Thin-spot drill: rewrite the Save card with real nouns from your work (repo, doc, inbox). Generic placeholders fail the drill.

Tonight for three real social claims write source tier and verification result; no reshare if unverified.

Buffer line: name the artifact path you used (Asia/Shanghai).

Ship-check: artifact path ___ · refuse-line dated Asia/Shanghai ___ · never-do ___

One sentence takeaway

Source tier beside every claim; rumors and unverified stay unshared.

Next

1-minute verify · Grok verify · Claim–evidence matrix · Source tiers

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