From Rumor to Reporting: What Counts as Evidence?

How do journalists use evidence to decide what can responsibly be reported?

Students often come into class treating news as something that simply appears: a headline, a quote, a video, a chart, or a finished article. If information is published by a news organization, it can feel complete and authoritative. But journalism is not just the act of repeating what someone said or posting what happened. At its best, journalism follows a process: gathering information, checking it, comparing sources, adding context, and making clear what the evidence can actually support.

This lesson gives students a practical way to understand that process. Instead of asking only whether a claim sounds true, students learn to ask how the claim was built: What raw information did the journalist start with? What evidence supports the claim? Is the information primary or secondary? What still needs to be verified? What context is missing? Across the lesson, students explore how journalists move from raw information to responsible reporting.