Today you will
- check one claim in three different places
- spot when pages just copy each other
- record your check in a file called {{code:sm4_independence_check}}
Three websites all say: "In Ireland, the digital age of consent is 16." What would convince you that they did not copy each other?
Independent sources reach the same claim using their own evidence, not each other's.
A copy cascade is one piece of text copied across several pages.
Circular citation is when two sources only point to each other as proof.
A cross-check means testing one claim in separate places to see if each source stands alone.
Example
An official page says the digital age of consent is 16. A news site rewrites that page, and a blog quotes the news. That is one source copied twice, not three checks.
As a class, sort six source cards into independent verification or not independent. Talk about each card first, then place it and check.
Ask yourself: could each source still stand if the other two vanished?
Independent or copied?
Common issues
- Three pages agree, so I thought they were independent. Check whether they all rewrite the same press release or article.
- I can't tell if two news sites copied each other. If the wording matches closely, count them as one source.
- My third source is a post sharing the first article. A share isn't a new source. Find a page with its own evidence.
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