FACT
CHECKING
LAB
This page shows how to check a claim, find the original evidence and see when a search result proves less than it seems to.
Six checks
for any claim.
Fact checking is a process you can repeat. State the claim precisely, find the original evidence and say what the evidence supports and where it stops.
The exact claim
Who said exactly what? Note the date, place, numbers and conditions.
The origin
Look for the original report, transcript, dataset or announcement.
Independent sources
Copies of the same article count as one source. Look for sources that reported on their own.
The context
Check publication dates, edits and places, and whether the images are old.
The evidence
Separate direct proof from speculation, correlation and interpretation.
A careful conclusion
Call the claim supported, contradicted, misleading or unresolved, and add links and caveats.
Tools for each
kind of claim.
Start from your question, open a branch and choose a tool. Each card says what the tool does well and where it can mislead you. One or two tools are usually enough, and independent sources should confirm the result.
Public information only. These tools are for checking claims. Never use them to profile people. Don't upload private, client or NDA material to any tool. Treat every tool result as a clue that still needs proof.
I checked these links on 1 November 2026. It is a short list for beginners and leaves many tools out. FacinateAI Hub has no ties to any listed provider, and tools, prices and terms can change.
Two practice
scenarios.
I made up both scenarios for learning. They show how an investigation goes, and neither comes from a platform interview.
"A government agency changed its policy yesterday."
Someone shares a screenshot without a link. What would you check before believing it?
Show the investigation path ↗
Name the agency and the exact policy claim. Search the agency's official domain with site: and the quoted wording, then compare the announcement date, the date the policy takes effect and any later corrections. A screenshot alone proves nothing.
"This photo proves today's protest happened here."
The photo might be authentic but from a different place or year.
Show the investigation path ↗
Run the photo through Google Lens or another reverse image search, look at earlier appearances, find landmarks and compare reports from independent sources. Google Fact Check Explorer can find earlier debunks. If it finds none, the photo is still unproven.
Google search
operators.
Search operators narrow a search over pages that Google has indexed. They give no special access. Start with the documented operators and test the unofficial ones carefully. The list keeps current documentation apart from old syntax.
A query
builder.
Combine a topic, an official domain, a document format and a date range. The tool builds the query in your browser and sends nothing to FacinateAI Hub.
Search Google opens Google Search in a new tab with the finished query. Results can differ by time and region.
Domain and date filters are optional. This website never fetches or stores results.
Official
references.
Nobody keeps a complete list of every “Google dork”, and Google changes its documentation and behaviour over time. These primary references stay more accurate than an old cheat sheet.
“Documented” operators appear in the official Search Help or Search Central pages above. “Unofficial” operators are common, but those pages make no promise about them. “Retired” operators no longer work, and the list keeps them so you can recognise them. Check the original sources yourself.
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