The etymological origin of the term corroborate is found in Latin. Specifically, it comes from the verb “corroborare”, which can be translated as “to force something”. It is a word that is the result of the sum of several components of that language:
-The prefix “co-”, which means “together” or “whole”.
-The noun “robur”, which is synonymous with “red oak”.
-The suffix “-ar”, which is the ending used to give form to verbs.
The concept is used to refer to what a person does when, by providing more information or new reasoning, they give more strength to an opinion or argument.
The notion is usually linked to the action of proving something through different kinds of evidence . When an event is accredited, demonstrated or justified through various data or judgments, it can be corroborated.
For example: "The police are waiting for the judge's order to enter the home and verify whether the suspect is still there" , "I need to corroborate certain information before publishing the article" , "The investigators intend to corroborate when the incident occurred" .
In journalism , it is considered necessary to consult at least three sources to corroborate information . This means that if three different people say the same thing about an event, the risk of publishing inaccurate data is reduced. On the other hand, if the information is presented based on the statements of a single individual, it is more likely that what is published is inaccurate or even misleading.
Sources are one of the main tools for journalists to work with. That is why they must provide them with the security and certainty that they are not being lied to. Therefore, it is important that they always corroborate them. However, when these sources always give them reliable news, they will become a great pillar for their work. They will trust them to be able to access more information or to be able to contrast data that they receive from other sources.
Likewise, journalists must take care of their sources and, above all, not reveal them. In many cases, they tend to be people who hold certain relevant positions or who have positions where they have access to a lot of information. Therefore, it is necessary that they do not reveal their sources because if they did, they would not only be put in a difficult position, which could even make them lose their position, but would also put an end to the transfer of information that they are given.
In many contexts, it is necessary to corroborate a thought, a hypothesis or an idea before making a decision . Let's suppose that a man wants to hire an architect to build his new home. Before hiring him, he decides to visit several buildings built by the architect in question and consult other clients to corroborate his professionalism. With these certainties, the person can make a more confident decision since he has a background that justifies hiring him.