From Distorted
Keep a Claim Record
Save one statement. Find its source, check its meaning, and weigh its evidence.
Your internet provider advertises a new plan as “twice as fast.” It costs more. Before upgrading, you want to know: twice as fast as the plan I have now? Will I notice the difference?
It is easy to lose those questions as a claim gets repeated. A record gives you a place to save the answers and note what is missing.
Return to the record when new evidence appears.
Work through an example
The internet provider, plans, dates, and test results below are fictional. Some details are missing on purpose.
1. Capture the claim
Exact wording: “Twice as fast.”
Publisher and setting: An internet provider makes this claim on the page for its new Premium plan. A nearby link reads “See our speed test.”
Publication date: Not shown on the page.
Date accessed: September 9, 2026. This is when the reader saw the page. It does not tell us when the claim first appeared.
Record retained: The page text, nearby offer, and linked test note were saved. The note is dated September 2. It describes tests run on August 28, 2026. The test date, note date, and date the reader saw it tell us different things.
Decision at stake: Would upgrading from today's Basic plan cut the time to download the reader's photos in half?
2. Read what the evidence actually says
The provider says it downloaded the same folder of 100 photos using each plan. It recorded how long each download took and the average number of photos downloaded per minute.
| Compared plan | Reported download time | Photos downloaded per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Older Basic plan | 20 minutes | 5 photos per minute |
| New Premium | 10 minutes | 10 photos per minute |
The test used the same photos, computer, cable connection, and download source. No other device used the connection during either test. The clock ran from the start of the download until all 100 photos were ready. The comparison used an older Basic plan, not the Basic plan sold today.
Calculation: 100 ÷ 20 = 5 photos per minute; 100 ÷ 10 = 10. Premium reportedly downloaded twice as many photos per minute. The folder took half as long to download.
Source limitation: The provider reports these results. It does not share the original test logs or say whether it repeated the test. No outside check is shown. We do not know what happened with home Wi-Fi, several devices at once, or other tasks.
The math checks how the reported numbers compare. It does not prove the test happened as described.
3. What do we know, and what are we assuming?
An observation is what we can see in the record. An interpretation explains what we think it means. An assumption is something we treat as true but have not checked.
What the page shows: The page makes the claim. The linked note names two plans and reports how long each took.
What the reported numbers mean: Under the stated test conditions, new Premium took half the time reported for the older Basic plan.
What we would be assuming: The same difference would apply to today's Basic plan and the reader's home connection. We do not know that yet.
What matters to the reader: How long downloads take at home, whether the connection is reliable, and what the upgrade costs. The ad answers only part of that question.
4. Test the first reaction
You might first think, “That ad is misleading.” The provider may have run the test exactly as described. Even so, a comparison with an older plan does not tell you what you would gain by upgrading today.
Evidence against the result: No evidence against the result is supplied. Missing details do not by themselves prove it is false.
What would change the assessment: Test logs showing different photos or times would weaken the report. A fair comparison of today's Basic and Premium plans would be more useful. It should include common home uses, not just one download on an otherwise empty connection.
5. State the result for now
The provider says Premium downloaded 100 photos in 10 minutes. Its older Basic plan took 20 minutes in the same test. That is twice as fast for that test. It does not tell me how much faster Premium would be than my current plan at home.
Next useful check: Ask for a comparison of today's plans and how it was tested. We can understand the ad's math. We cannot yet predict how much this upgrade would help.
Make your own record
Copy this worksheet into a document or notebook. Use “unknown” or “not provided” when you lack an answer. A clear gap helps more than a guess.
To print the blank worksheet, choose Print in your browser.
Fill in this worksheet
Open one part at a time. Type your notes in the boxes. Use “unknown” when you do not have an answer.
Copy or download your notes before leaving this page.
This page does not save your notes. Printing this page prints the blank worksheet below, without these typed notes. To print your notes, copy them into a document first.
The statement
The evidence
Check the explanation
Select this text and use Copy on your device. Then paste it into a document to keep it.
The statement
- Exact wording: Keep the original words. Mark any version you put in your own words.
- Speaker or publisher: Who made the claim? Who is reporting it?
- Original source and location: Save the link or document title, with the passage or page that matters.
- Publication date: When was the statement published? Have you checked that date?
- Event or measurement date: When did the thing described happen?
- Date accessed: When did you see or save this version?
- What the claim covers: What limits are stated nearby? Who, where, and when does the claim cover?
- Decision: What might you do differently if the claim is true?
The evidence
- Support: Save the findings or passages that support it, where they came from, and any math.
- Contradictions: What evidence points against the claim?
- Limits: What is missing, disputed, passed on by others, or not yet confirmed?
- What I saw and what I think it means: Separate what you saw, what someone else reports, and what you think it means.
Check the explanation
- Alternative explanation: What other reasonable explanation fits the facts you have?
- Change of mind: What evidence would weaken the explanation you now prefer?
- My view for now: What does the evidence support? What is still unknown?
- Next check: Which unanswered question would help you decide what to do?
- Revision: Date each change to your view and explain why you changed it.
Continue the practice
When two explanations could fit the facts, use Compare the Stories.
If you are concerned that someone is trying to make you doubt your own senses, read When Is It Actually Gaslighting?. It explains why one exchange may not tell you enough.
This exercise builds on the reality log in Chapter 2 of Distorted: a record of claims and experiences. Chapters 25 and 26 explain how to keep records, preserve context, and note corrections. Chapter 29 asks us to slow down and check the evidence.
In the Clarity Framework, this practice connects Investigate Claims, Verify Facts, and Engage Disagreement. Keeping a record means leaving room for evidence that changes your view.
Question something we published?
Send the page link, the passage at issue, and the evidence we should examine.
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