A pass-or-review checklist for social media feeds

What to take away

• Apply the checklist to one post, session, or feed claim at a stated time.
• Separate the post's reliability from the reason it may have appeared.
• Open original sources and inspect dates before sharing consequential claims.
• Treat badges, popularity, repetition, and trend status as cues, not proof.
• Stop when safety, privacy, fraud, or account access needs a specialist route.

Use this checklist when a feed post asks you to believe, buy, share, contact, donate, or act. Mark each item Pass, Review, Stop, or Not applicable. A fast entertainment post may need only a few checks; a financial, medical, legal, civic, or safety claim needs more.

1. Identify the feed surface

• Platform and feed name are known.
• The feed is following, ranked, recommended, group, topic, search, or trending.
• The observation date, time, device, and account state are recorded when they matter.
• Recommendation, sponsored, repost, or suggested labels are visible.
• The claim does not assume that this view is universal.

Review if: a screenshot crops out the surface name or label.

2. Identify the post and creator

• The original account is distinguished from the account that reshared it.
• The post URL or stable identifier is saved when appropriate.
• The creator's identity, role, and relevant expertise are checked outside the profile bio.
• Impersonation, parody, fan, and automated-account possibilities were considered.
• A verification badge is interpreted under current platform rules.

Pew Research Center's qualitative work on how people recognize news in feeds found that participants used cues such as familiar names, logos, verification, headlines, attribution, and visuals. The study also shows why cues need checking: something that looks like news can still require source and evidence review.

When the account itself is the question, a separate profile review checklist covers names, credentials, and impersonation.

3. Check date and context

• Original publication date is visible.
• Event date is separated from posting or reposting date.
• The headline, image, or clip has not been detached from later correction or fuller context.
• Location and jurisdiction match the claim.
• "Breaking" language is not being used on an old event.

Stop before sharing if: the post's meaning changes after the original date or context is restored.

4. Inspect evidence

• The post links to a specific source rather than an unnamed report.
• The linked page contains the claimed fact.
• A quotation can be found in the full statement or recording.
• A chart shows title, unit, date, population, and source.
• An image or video can be traced to its original event or creator.
• Independent evidence appropriate to the claim is available.

Do not count several posts repeating one unsupported claim as several sources. Repetition is a distribution fact, not evidence; how memes travel shows why one joke can arrive from ten accounts.

5. Read laterally

• A new search checks what reliable sources say about the creator or organization.
• The original document is sought rather than relying on commentary.
• A competing explanation is considered.
• Search results are scanned before clicking the first item.
• Sources with direct knowledge are separated from aggregation.

Stanford Social Media Lab's Digital Strength tools describe lateral reading, click restraint, reverse image search, and other verification practices. Use the technique in proportion to consequence and preserve privacy while searching.

6. Check commercial context

• Sponsored or paid-partnership labels are noticed.
• The advertiser, seller, affiliate, or fundraising recipient is identified.
• Material relationships are disclosed clearly enough to understand.
• Scarcity, countdown, popularity, and testimonial cues are verified.
• Offer terms and destination domain are checked before payment or sign-in.

Stop if: the link asks for credentials, payment, or personal data through an unverified destination.

Where the seller is a creator you follow, the two-sided boundaries checklist adds the spending and disclosure items.

7. Separate appearance from truth

• High views or likes are not treated as factual confirmation.
• Many comments are not treated as a representative opinion poll.
• Trend status is not treated as importance or prevalence.
• A professional layout is not treated as evidence of expertise.
• A feed recommendation is not treated as an endorsement.

8. Use the right control

• Hide or "not interested" is used for unwanted recommendations.
• Mute or unfollow matches the desired relationship change.
• Block is available for an account boundary.
• Report is reserved for a suspected rule violation and the right category is chosen.
• Evidence is preserved first when harassment, threats, fraud, or appeals may require it.

Exact effects and notification behavior differ by platform. Read the confirmation message. For a creator tie that keeps defeating these controls, a stepped reduction plan works better than repeated hides.

9. Protect privacy

• Screenshots remove private names, faces, locations, and message content unless needed and authorized.
• A verification search does not expose another person's sensitive data.
• Account exports and audit logs are stored securely.
• Public replies do not reveal contact details or routines.
• Children and vulnerable people receive added protection.

Pass, review, or stop

Result	Meaning	Next action
Pass	Source, context, and evidence fit the intended action	Act within the checked scope
Review	One or more material facts remain uncertain	Seek original or independent evidence
Stop	Safety, fraud, privacy, or unsupported high-stakes claim	Do not act or share; use the proper help route

Common questions

Must every post be researched?

No. Scale effort to consequence. A harmless joke and a request for money do not need the same review.

Is a blue check enough to identify a source?

No. Badge rules change and may indicate subscription, identity, role, or another status. Check the current definition.

Can comments confirm a claim?

They can provide leads or firsthand accounts, but identity, selection, and evidence still require evaluation.

What should I save before reporting a post?

Save the URL, time, account, visible content, and relevant context without spreading harmful material unnecessarily.

When should a professional be involved?

Use appropriate help for threats, stalking, child safety, fraud, account compromise, or medical, legal, and financial decisions.