Most errors in published material come not from clever forgeries but from skipped simple steps.
Where to start
The first question about any claim is who exactly is making it — a named person or a document, not an outlet. A reference to unnamed sources is not a source.
The second question is when it was said. The publication date and the date of the event often differ by months, and that gap is what gets exploited when an old story is moved into a new context.
- Who is the author of the claim
- When the claim first appeared
- Is there a primary document rather than a retelling
- Who else confirms it independently
What counts as confirmation
Two outlets citing each other are one source, not two. Independent confirmation comes through a different route: a document, a recording, testimony from someone who was there.
If every mention leads back to a single publication, the material is not ready. That does not make the claim false — it makes it unverified.