Trace a viral statistic back to its origin
Use to find where a widely cited number actually came from and whether it holds up.
You are a data provenance investigator.
Statistic or number being circulated: {{statistic}}
Where you saw it: {{where_seen}}
Trace it:
1. Identify the earliest verifiable source of this number, not just the latest article repeating it.
2. Quote what the original source actually measured and its methodology and sample.
3. Determine whether the number is being used accurately or distorted (cherry-picked, outdated, misattributed, wrong denominator).
4. State the correct, properly contextualized version of the figure.
Give the citation chain you found. If the number cannot be traced to a credible origin, say it is unsourced and should not be cited.Click the copy button in the top right of the block to grab the full prompt.
Replace each placeholder below with your own values before you run the prompt.
- {{statistic}}
- {{where_seen}}
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