Methodology · Updated 2026-10-26
How we check and rate claims
In one line: We start from the original source, show the viral version next to it, say exactly what changed, and link every fact we state.
Our steps
- Find the original. A government transcript or video, an archive record, a post by the original account, or the full episode. Reposts do not count as originals.
- Compare. We describe each difference between the viral item and the original. For images we say whether we compared the files ourselves or are relying on a fact-checker's description; for clips we say whether we timed the passage.
- Date the first appearance we can verify. This is "earliest verified," never "earliest ever." Times are converted to Pacific time and labeled.
- Cite. Primary sources first. Fact-checkers (Snopes, PolitiFact, Lead Stories, AFP, Full Fact and similar) are cited as secondary context, after the primary source.
- Mark what we could not confirm. Anything we could not confirm is said so on the page, in plain words, rather than stated as fact.
Source tiers
| Tier | Examples | How we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | White House and archive transcripts, official video uploads, a person's own post, a university archive record, a government statement | Basis for every factual statement |
| News | CNN, NBC, PBS, Hollywood Reporter | Context and dating, with named outlet and date |
| Secondary | Fact-checkers, Know Your Meme | Pointers and context only; never the sole basis for a fact |
Ratings
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| False | The claim contradicts the original records or recordings |
| False (altered image) | The image was edited; we link the original |
| False (clipped) | A real recording, cut so that its meaning changed |
| Satire | The source describes itself as satire, or presents invented content as such |
| Unproven | We could not find or confirm the original |
The ClaimReview markup on each page uses a 1 to 5 scale (1 = false). Markup is not a ranking promise: Google stopped showing ClaimReview snippets in Search in 2025, and we use the markup for other tools that read it.
How we show altered media
We do not host altered images by default. We link the original and the earliest copy we could verify, and we describe the differences. Where a small copy of an altered image is genuinely useful and lawful to show, it gets a restrained but unmistakable label: a red frame, a small "Altered copy" badge in the corner, a caption bar with the source link, alt text that begins "Altered image:", low resolution (about 240 pixels wide), and a thin caption strip baked into the image itself so that a cropped screenshot still says "ALTERED COPY." We do not publish a clean or high-resolution file, and we do not run ads next to altered media. Videos follow the separate rules on how we handle video.
Video
We never embed or host a clipped hoax video. We show the official source, link it at the exact second, and quote the official transcript. See how we handle video.
Machine-made material
Auto-generated captions are used only to locate a passage. The official transcript or the recording is the source for a quotation, and where we could not get one we say so.
What we do not do
- We do not mock people who shared a claim.
- We do not speculate about motives.
- We do not publish personal details of private individuals.
- We do not run ads next to altered media. At launch the site is ad-free.
- We do not rate claims we could not trace to an original.
Independence and funding
See the About page. The site is independent and not affiliated with the Obamas or any government office.
Related pages
Change log
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | First version. |
This site is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, the Obama Foundation, or any government office. To report an error, see the corrections page.