Triangulating a claim across more than one source
Launch library · evergreen read
A single source, however credible it seems, can be wrong, out of date, or simply presenting a partial picture. Triangulating a claim means checking it against at least one or two independent sources, ideally ones that gathered their information differently, before treating the claim as reasonably well established enough to repeat with any confidence.
Independence matters more than quantity here: three outlets that all cite the same original report are not really three confirmations, only one claim repeated. Genuine triangulation looks for sources that reached a similar conclusion through separate reporting, separate data, or separate expertise, which is a much stronger form of confirmation.
This habit takes a little more time than accepting the first plausible account, but it catches a meaningful share of errors, exaggerations, and outdated claims before they get repeated further, which matters most for the claims a person is most tempted to share immediately, before any real checking has happened at all.