NewsTrace

You've got an article, a forwarded link, a post in your feed — and no easy way to know what's behind it.

NewsTrace traces a story back to its sources and shows you what can and can't be independently confirmed. It doesn't tell you what to believe — it shows you what's checkable, so you can decide.

Get the Chrome extension Add the one-click button Trace a story here

The extension works in Chrome, Edge and Brave. The one-click button works in any desktop browser — Safari and Firefox included — from your bookmarks bar. Both are free, with no account.

How it works

Install the Chrome extension and NewsTrace opens in a panel beside whatever you're reading. Click the icon, right-click a link, or highlight a sentence to check a single claim — nothing to copy or paste. Get it from the Chrome Web Store.

Or paste an article's text for a full read — who published it, its track record, who else is covering the story, and an honest note on what can't be verified. Works on articles you subscribe to, because you supply the text.

Or paste a link for a quick source check — the outlet, how long its domain has existed, and whether it appears in published research on coordinated "pink-slime" networks.

Or add the one-click button to your bookmarks bar — it works in any desktop browser, including Safari and Firefox, where the extension isn't available. Then, on any article, one click traces the source and reads the story — no copying, no pasting.

It never treats what it can't confirm as an accusation. A local paper NewsTrace has never seen isn't "suspicious" — it's just unfamiliar. Everything it can't check is shown in plain, neutral language, never as a warning. And it reads only what you give it: nothing you're subscribed to gets blocked, and no page is copied.

Verified member of The Lantern GuildAn alliance of independent developers building free tools that help people recognize scams, evaluate what they read, and use technology with confidence. Neutral by charter — facts and evidence, no ideology.