# Viral Claim Source-Trace Worksheet

For the method in [Trace a Viral Claim Before You Share It](/articles/verify-viral-claim-before-sharing).
Use AI to find and locate sources - never to render a truth verdict.

## Not for

Deciding whether a health claim is safe to act on (use the
[health claim source-trace worksheet](/downloads/articles/health-claim-source-trace.md) instead) or checking
an AI-written news summary against its article (use the
[news summary primary-source check](/downloads/articles/news-summary-primary-check.md) instead).

## Step 1: The post as it reached you

- Where I saw it (chat, app, platform):
- Who shared it:
- Screenshot layers between me and any original (0, 1, 2+):

## Step 2: The specific, checkable claim (strip the framing)

One plain sentence:

## Step 3: Original source search

| What I searched for | Original account/outlet found? | Link to original |
| --- | --- | --- |
| | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |

## Step 4: Original-vs-received comparison

- Original date/timestamp:
- Original account matches what the screenshot implied? ☐ Yes ☐ No
- Wording or image matches what I received? ☐ Yes ☐ No
- Anything added (context, date, claim) that is not in the original:

## Step 5: Decision

☐ Share as-is - original source confirms the claim as stated
☐ Share with context - real but needs a caveat: ______________________
☐ Do not share - could not verify origin, or framing has drifted from the original

Reason for this decision, in one sentence:

## The three prompts to reuse

**1. Extract the checkable claim**

```text
Here is a post I received: [paste it]. Extract the single specific,
checkable factual claim being made, in one plain sentence. Ignore the
framing, the emotional language, and any call to action - I only want
the underlying claim and, if visible, the name of the original poster
or outlet.
```

**2. Plan the search for the original**

```text
For this claim: "[claim from step 2]" - help me identify what the
original source is likely to be (a specific news outlet, an official
account, a press release, a court filing) and how I would search for
the original post or article directly. Do not tell me whether the
claim is true or what the source says - I will check that myself.
```

**3. Check honesty of framing**

```text
Here is what the original source actually shows or says: [paste it].
Help me identify: when this was originally published, what event it
actually documents, and whether the version I received adds any
claim, date, or context that is not present in the original. Do not
tell me whether the overall framing is fair - just show me what
matches and what does not.
```

## Before you forward anything

- [ ] I opened the original source myself - I did not trust a description of it
- [ ] The wording, date, and account all match what I received
- [ ] My decision (share / share with context / do not share) is written down with a reason
- [ ] If this claim is medical, I am using the health claim worksheet instead