Claims
A Claim Is Not the Same as Its Supporting Detail
Claim versus supporting detail: learn to spot when a vivid public assertion outruns its basis and describe precisely…
The reading room
All readings
Browse explainers on claims, sources, evidence, images and uncertainty. Each piece focuses on one reading problem and the limits of what can be concluded.
Sources
Original Documents and Secondhand Summaries Answer Different Questions
Compare an original document with a secondhand summary to trace who said what, spot changes in context, and decide…
Evidence
Before the Feed: How Corrections Reached Readers
How corrections reached readers changed with print and digital formats. Learn why notices go unseen and how to check…
Images
The Cropped Photograph That Tells Too Much
Learn how to check a cropped photograph’s source, compare wider versions, and describe what it can—and cannot—show…
Uncertainty
Reading an Early Account Without Guessing the Ending
Reading an early account is easier when you track what changed, what remains unresolved, and which source supplied…