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Sourcing standards

How to trace a story to its source

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 8 sources

Short answer

Tracing a story means following each claim upstream until you reach the first person, document or recording behind it. Published rules point the same way. The SPJ Code says to use original sources whenever possible 1. ICD 206 asks intelligence citations to reference the most original source that presents the information 2. NPR warns that several outlets relying on the same single source is a red flag 3. For images and video, a C2PA manifest, where present, records signed provenance statements 6.
Goal
Reach the most original source that presents the information 2
Warning sign
Many outlets, one underlying source 3
Useful citation fields
Originator, identifier, title, date 2
File provenance
C2PA manifests, which can be stripped 6

Step 1: Read the attribution

Start with the words around each claim. The Washington Post says readers should be able to distinguish what the reporter saw from what the reporter obtained from other sources 4. NPR says 'media reports' or 'sources say' is not good enough 3. A named outlet, agency credit or document title is the first link in the chain.

Step 2: Find the first publication

If the story credits another outlet or an agency, go to that report. Agency copy is often republished by many members and clients. The US Supreme Court described this model in 1918, with AP members supplying local news to AP and AP distributing news daily to members 5.

Check whether later stories add anything new. NPR warns that incorrect information can be passed down from one news story to another 3.

Step 3: Get to the primary record

  • Look for the underlying document, such as a court filing, official release or dataset. The Washington Post says a relevant document can sometimes serve as a second source 4.
  • Record the same fields an intelligence citation uses. ICD 206 lists the originator, an unambiguous identifier, a title, the date of issue or posting, and the page number 2.
  • For online items with no posting date, note the date you accessed them. ICD 206 uses the access date when the posting date is unknown 2.

Step 4: Test independence

Count sources, not articles. The Washington Post's two-source preference says the two sources should be independent of each other 4. If every report traces to one person or one document, there is one source.

ICD 206 strongly encourages a summary of which sources are meaningfully corroborative or conflicting 2. Writing that down for your own trace shows where the evidence is thin.

Step 5: Check images, video and files

  • Look for a C2PA manifest. The C2PA specification defines it as the set of information about the provenance of an asset, based on one or more assertions 6.
  • Read the source type, if present. The IPTC Digital Source Type vocabulary uses digitalCapture for media captured from real life and trainedAlgorithmicMedia for media made with generative AI 7.
  • Treat a missing manifest with care. The C2PA specification says an asset can become separated from its manifest through removal or corruption of metadata 6.
  • Check labels on illustrations. The German Press Code says symbolic photos must be identifiable as such 8.

Common questions

What counts as the original source?

The first person, document or recording that presents the information. ICD 206 asks for the most original source that presents the relevant information in a form fit for analysis 2.

Is a wire story an original source?

It can be the first publication. The 1918 Supreme Court case described AP members supplying local news to AP, so a wire story may itself rest on a member's report 5.

How do I know if two reports are independent?

Trace each back. If both rely on the same origin, they are one source. NPR calls that pattern a red flag 3.

Does a C2PA credential tell me who first published an image?

It records signed statements about the file. The specification says C2PA specifications should not judge whether provenance data is good or bad 6.

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Sources

  1. Society of Professional Journalists: SPJ's Code of Ethics (revised 4 October 2026)
  2. Office of the Director of National Intelligence: ICD 206, Sourcing Requirements for Disseminated Analytic Products (copy hosted by the Federation of American Scientists)
  3. NPR: Accuracy (NPR Ethics Handbook)
  4. The Washington Post: Policies and Standards
  5. Cornell Law School LII: International News Service v. Associated Press, 248 U.S. 215 (1918)
  6. C2PA: Content Credentials, C2PA Technical Specification 2.2 (May 2025)
  7. IPTC: NewsCodes Scheme (Controlled Vocabulary), Digital Source Type
  8. Deutscher Presserat: Pressekodex (Fassung vom 19. März 2025)

Related

  • Circular reporting explained

    How one source can look like many, what newsroom guides and US intelligence reviews say about it, and the checks that published standards set out.

  • Attribution terms explained

    What common attribution phrases signal about where a fact came from, and what published newsroom codes in the US, UK and Germany say about using them.

  • Wire services and syndication explained

    How the big news agencies are owned and governed, how members and clients reuse agency copy, and what published rules say about crediting it.

  • C2PA Content Credentials explained

    How the C2PA standard attaches signed provenance records to images, video and other files, what those records prove, and what they do not.

  • Single-source and two-source rules

    What published newsroom codes say about confirming facts with two independent sources, when one source is allowed, and how unconfirmed claims are treated.