Rapid-response brief
A short, sourced explainer template that ships within hours of a claim going viral, built to travel through the same channels the rumor used.
The problem
Corrections lose to rumors on timing. A false claim can saturate a community in hours; a careful debunk often takes days and lands on a channel the rumor never touched.
The fix is not more speed at the cost of accuracy — it is a pre-built structure that lets a reviewer move fast without cutting corners, and a distribution path that matches the rumor’s.
How it works
- 1A fixed template
The claim as circulated, the earliest identifiable source, what is established, what is disputed, and what remains unknown — a shape a reviewer can fill within hours.
- 2Same-channel delivery
Built to travel through the same channels the rumor used (see The Culture Network), so the correction can catch it.
- 3Honest about uncertainty
It states plainly what is not yet known rather than over-claiming — which is what keeps it trustworthy under time pressure.
What we want your input on
- What trigger threshold should spin one up — reach, velocity, or harm?
- How tightly should it couple to the evidence database versus stand alone?