Fact Checking Assistant

Use Case

When reviewing documents with statistical claims or quoted facts, it's important to verify accuracy. Cowork can cross-reference claims with your source files to identify discrepancies.

Example Prompt

I have a draft report in ~/Documents/annual_report_draft.docx that contains various statistics and claims. I also have the source data files in ~/Documents/Sources/:
- financial_data.xlsx
- survey_results.csv
- industry_benchmarks.pdf

Please fact-check the report:
1. Identify all statistical claims in the draft
2. Cross-reference each claim with source files
3. Flag any discrepancies or unsupported claims
4. Note claims that need additional sources
5. Create a fact_check_report.md with findings

What Cowork Does

1. Claim Extraction: Identifies statements with numbers or facts
2. Source Mapping: Matches claims to potential source files
3. Verification: Compares claim values with source data
4. Discrepancy Detection: Flags mismatches or errors
5. Gap Identification: Notes claims without sources
6. Report Generation: Creates detailed verification report

Sample Output

# Fact-Check Report
Document: annual_report_draft.docx
Sources checked: 3 files
Claims analyzed: 23

## Summary
- ✅ Verified: 18 claims
- ⚠️ Discrepancies: 3 claims
- ❓ Unverified: 2 claims

---

## Discrepancies Found

### 1. Revenue Growth Claim
**Document states**: "Revenue grew 24% year-over-year"
**Source (financial_data.xlsx)**: 22.8% growth
**Recommendation**: Update to 23% (rounded) or 22.8% (precise)
**Location**: Page 3, paragraph 2

### 2. Customer Satisfaction Score
**Document states**: "Customer satisfaction reached 92%"
**Source (survey_results.csv)**: 89.3% satisfaction rate
**Recommendation**: Correct to 89%
**Location**: Page 7, bullet point 3

### 3. Market Share Comparison
**Document states**: "We lead the market with 35% share"
**Source (industry_benchmarks.pdf)**: 32% market share
**Recommendation**: Verify latest data; update to 32%
**Location**: Executive summary

---

## Unverified Claims

### 1. Employee Count
**Document states**: "Our team of over 500 professionals"
**Status**: No employee data in provided sources
**Action needed**: Add HR data or verify internally

### 2. Patent Portfolio
**Document states**: "12 patents pending"
**Status**: No IP documentation provided
**Action needed**: Verify with legal department

---

## Verified Claims
| Claim | Source | Status |
|-------|--------|--------|
| Q4 revenue: $12.3M | financial_data.xlsx | ✅ Exact match |
| NPS score: +45 | survey_results.csv | ✅ Verified |
| YoY growth: 18% users | survey_results.csv | ✅ Verified |
[... 15 more verified claims ...]

Tips

• Include all original source files
• Use consistent file naming
• Specify precision requirements (rounded vs exact)
• Note which claims are most critical