Trump just restricted three news outlets from the White House. The networks that share presidential TV footage have now suspended their pooled coverage of Trumps events, and the administration has launched a streaming channel of its own.
These tools provide free-access to recordings, reports, documents, and additional resources that help examine government claims. Some government records are available under public access laws, and others are published by independent organizations.
1. Find the Original Recording Behind a Viral Clip
A short video of an official speaking could leave out important context.
Before sharing, find the original recording to understand the full context.
The free C-SPAN Video Library lets you to search for congressional hearings, presidential appearances and other public events by name, date, or topic.
Here’s how to use it:
- Find a statement or short video circulating on social media that you want to verify.
- Search C-SPAN for the official’s name, the event, or the date of the statement.
- Watch the available recording, including what was said before and after the clip.
- Determine if the official announced an existing policy, proposed a future action, or answered a hypothetical question.
You can compare presidential remarks with official transcripts in the Compilation of Presidential Documents.
And remember: Confirming what an official said DOES NOT automatically equal confirming that their statement is factually accurate.
2. Compare Official Statements With Independent Reporting
When the full press corps can’t fit, a small pool goes in and reports what happened for us.
The University of Maryland maintains a free searchable archive of White House pool reports dating back to June 2020.
You can search the date of an event and compare it to what journalists described with how the administration described it. Look for differences in the details reported, questions asked, and information included or omitted.
The archive adds reports periodically so material from recent events might not be available right away.
3. Learn How to Read Executive Orders and Comment on Federal Regulations
The Federal Register publishes executive orders and proclamations usually after they’ve been signed and submitted.
Read for what the order requires, what agency has to implement it, and when its provisions take effect.
Many executive orders direct agencies to develop policies or take additional action instead of immediately establishing each detail of a new program. The announcement and its practical effects can then be separated by weeks or months.
You can also examine proposed federal regulations and submit public comments.
The Federal Register publishes proposed rules, while Regulations.gov provides access to rulemaking documents and public comment opportunities for participating federal agencies.
To participate, search for a proposed rule by its title, subject, agency, or docket number. Check if the comment period is open, read the proposal, and follow the agency’s submission instructions.
The government’s guidance for commenters says the process is not a vote. A well-supported comment can provide more useful info to an agency than a thousand identical form letters.
If you submit a comment: Identify the specific provision you’re addressing, explain its potential effects using verifiable information or personal experience, and provide relevant evidence.
4. Make Fact-Checking Part of Your Group/Chapter’s Routine
The News Literacy Project offers free educational resources on tracing claims to their sources, evaluating evidence, and identifying misleading information.
Before anything significant goes out under your group’s name, have a second person ask some verifying questions such as:
- Is this information firsthand, an official statement, or an interpretation?
- Is there an original document or recording somewhere we can look at first?
- Has a news organization examined this information?
- What important context could still be missing from this post?
When accuracy can’t be confirmed, consider holding the post until additional evidence becomes available.
5. Learn How to Request Federal, State, and Local Government Records
Under the Freedom of Information Act, almost anyone can request existing federal agency records.
There’s no initial fee to submit a FOIA request and you generally don’t need to explain why you want the records but the agencies might charge some processing fees, and some records are exempt from disclosure.
FOIA.gov gives information about each agency’s request procedures. Check first if the agency has published the records you need.
Two things can make requests more effective:
Ask for documents instead of explanations because agencies generally are not obligated to answer questions or create new records in response to a FOIA request.
Be specific about the subject, date range, and document type.
For example:
“Records relating to the agency’s contracts with Company X between January and June 2026.”
This is much more useful than asking, “Why did you hire Company X?”
FOIA has limits to know before you file:
It doesn’t usually apply to the president’s immediate personal staff and some White House offices fall outside of that scope.
However, federal agencies responsible for implementing presidential orders are generally subject to FOIA and their records could provide information about how government decisions are being carried out.
And for local issues, each state has its own public records laws. The Reporters Committee’s Open Government Guide explains the laws in all 50 states and the DC.
Put These Five Tools to Work at Your Next Group/Chapter Meeting
If you’re an organizer or actively involved with your community groups, take just fifteen minutes with a few people. Find a claim that circulated in your networks this week and put this to practice.
Have one person find the original recording, if available. Have one person locate the underlying document. And have one person check if independent reporting has examined or confirmed the claim. This helps collaboration and gives your group more perspective on the situation and better clarity on how to address it.
Compare notes and ask together:
What does the evidence establish and what might we have gotten wrong if we had shared the claim without checking? Write down what remains unverified.
The courts will determine the legal questions surrounding the current White House press-access dispute. In the meantime, these public resources remain available for examining government information.