Source Reliability Checklist

Walk through these five axes for any human source. Score each one Strong / Mixed / Weak based on the signals you see. The framework is for thinking out loud — there's no algorithmic verdict.

• Identity verifiability

  Can you confirm this person is who they say they are?

  • Strong: Verified by official records (employer directory, government registry, public bio).
  • Weak: Anonymous tip with no way to confirm the person exists, let alone holds the role they claim.
  WeakMixedStrong

• Track record

  Has this person made similar claims before, and how did those hold up?

  • Strong: Past statements are documented and verifiable; previous claims were substantiated by independent evidence.
  • Weak: Pattern of unfounded claims, retracted statements, or claims that pre-date public attention to the topic.
  WeakMixedStrong

• Motive

  Why is this person sharing this — what do they get out of it?

  • Strong: Personal cost or risk involved; no obvious financial / political / personal upside; provides information against their own interests.
  • Weak: Clear financial incentive (book deal, lawsuit), grudge, ideological project, or attempt to displace blame.
  WeakMixedStrong

• Corroboration

  Is there independent evidence (documents, other witnesses, technical artifacts) that supports the claim?

  • Strong: Multiple independent sources, contemporaneous documents, technical evidence (logs, photos with intact metadata), or court records.
  • Weak: Single-source story; all confirmation flows from people connected to the source themselves.
  WeakMixedStrong

• Contemporaneous evidence

  Did the source create a record of this at the time it happened, not after the fact?

  • Strong: Texts, emails, calendar entries, journal notes dated to when the events occurred.
  • Weak: Recall reconstructed only after the topic became public or after the source had reason to anticipate scrutiny.
  WeakMixedStrong