Educational resource for members of the Burnet News Club - a club for young journalists run by The Economist Educational Foundation. www.burnetnewsclub.com

1. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
The Seven ‘C’s
Truth Checker

2. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Lots of things get said and written that aren’t
true. Why might this be the case?
•Some people have made honest mistakes.
•Some don’t really know what they’re talking about.
•Some want something to be true, so they ignore
everything that says it isn’t.
•Some people know what they’re saying isn’t true,
but they want you to think it is (they lie).
These seven ‘C’s can help you decide how much to
trust what someone has said.

3. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Is this person an
expert?
Have they studied
this area?
Do they have
experience of what
they’re talking/writing
about?
Have they been right
about similar things in
the past?
CHECK 1.
Credibility
Do they know
what they’re
talking about?

4. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Is this person the
only one with this
point of view, or do
other people say the
same thing?
Do the people who
agree have a
connection?
CHECK 2.
Confirmation
Who else says
the same?

5. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Does the
person make
sense and give
good reasons?
CHECK 3.
Clear, logical
argument
Does the
argument
make sense?

6. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
People will often give bad
reasons for believing
things that help them make
money.
Just because someone will
benefit from winning an
argument doesn’t mean
they’re wrong.
But it might mean they’re
only saying it to get
something, so it’s a good
idea to check their facts
particularly carefully!
CHECK 4.
Cash!
Will the person
make more money
if people believe
what they say?

7. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
“Cherry picking” means
only choosing to tell
people the things that
make you look right,
and leaving out the
things that make you
look wrong.
They might give
examples that support
their point but leave out
the examples that don’t.
CHECK 5.
Cherry-picking
Has the person left
out information that
disproves what they
are saying?

8. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Some standpoints are so common
that some people believe they are
true just because so many others
believe it. But just because lots of
people believe something does
NOT mean it’s true.
Don’t assume someone is right just
because lots of other people believe
what they say.
Some examples of common standpoints
• ‘The American Dream’ – anyone in the
United States can be become rich and
successful even if they were born very
poor
• ‘Immigrants just come to the UK to get
benefits’
CHECK 6.
Common
standpoints
Have they put too much
trust in a common
standpoint that might
not be true?

9. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
An assumption is
something a person
believes without even
trying to prove it – usually
because they think it’s so
obvious they don’t need to
bother. They’re just
assuming it’s true.
Lots of arguments include
hidden assumptions – you
can tell that the person
believes it even though
they haven’t actually said it.
CHECK 7.
Check
Does the person
have hidden
assumptions?

10. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
There is a hidden assumption
in this argument:
“People should eat
fruit and vegetables
because they help
people to be healthy.”
CHECK 7.
Check
Does the person
have hidden
assumptions?
The hidden assumption is:
“it is good to be healthy”.
You can tell they believe that
even though they haven’t
actually said it, because without
that belief their argument
wouldn’t make sense.

11. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
What are the hidden opinions in
these arguments?
Do you agree with them?
• I won’t go to school
because they won’t let me
bring my dog.
• I will be a plumber because
that’s what my father does.
• This must be the best book
for me to read because it is
a bestseller
• Rabbits are good pets
because they are gentle
CHECK 7.
Check
Does the person
have hidden
assumptions?

12. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Another example:
“That person is a bad
parent because she
lets her child play lots
of computer games.”
The hidden assumption here is
that it’s bad for a child to play lots
of computer games. That might
not actually be true. So even
though the parent lets her child
play lots of computer games that
doesn’t mean she’s a bad parent:
it’s not a good argument because
the hidden assumption is wrong.
CHECK 7.
Check
Does the person
have hidden
assumptions?

13. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
Always try to spot the
hidden assumptions in
arguments, because
sometimes people’s
assumptions are wrong.
The reason they’ve
actually SAID might be
true, but they might
have a hidden
assumption that
isn’t true.
CHECK 7.
Check
Does the person
have hidden
assumptions?

14. The Burnet News Club
THE SEVEN ‘C’S TRUTH CHECKER
“More money needs to be spent on
doctors’ surgeries” say 100 doctors.
“Global warming isn’t happening”
says a biologist in a written article.
“People are better off because food
prices have fallen in the last month”
says a politician.
“Nurses are underpaid - compare their
salaries with those of Premiership
footballers” say nurses.
“My friends all get more pocket money
than me” says a girl arguing with her
parents for more pocket money.
“UK teachers should be paid as much as
Canadian teachers” say UK teachers.
Seven ‘C’s exercise
Using the Seven “C”s for help, put these
into order according to how much you
trust the argument being made.
“Sugary drinks make people unhealthy”
says a doctor.
“Children should be allowed more
sugary drinks” says someone who
works at Pepsi
“All schools need more money” say the
makers of a video filmed in a classroom
with a leaky roof.