[[File:Circular reporting.svg|thumb|300px|Two basic ways that circular reporting can happen.  Dashed lines indicate reports that have obscured their sources]]

In [[source criticism]], '''circular reporting''' or '''false confirmation''' is a situation where a piece of information appears to come from multiple independent sources, but in fact, is coming from only one source.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/caj/documents/vol_11/iss_2/CAJ_Vol11.2_12_e.pdf|title=The Challenge of Centralized Control Faced by the Intelligence Function in Afghanistan|publisher=Canadian Army Journal|date=Summer 2008|author=Sergeant Marcus Sterzer, CD, B.A.; Master Corporal Patrick McDuff B.A., M.A.; and Corporal Jacek Flasz}}</ref><ref name="MotherJones">{{cite web|url=http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/06/8595_three_days_in_r.html|title=The Cocktail Napkin Plan for Regime Change in Iran|date=2008-06|publisher=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]}}</ref>

This problem occurs in variety of fields, including [[scientific misconduct|scholarly research]], [[media echo chamber|journalism]], and military intelligence<ref name="MotherJones" />.

== Specific examples ==

* the [[Niger uranium forgeries]] are sometimes described as "circular reporting"

        http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/17/nation/na-niger17

* [[Wikipedia]] and [[Der Spiegel]] in 2009, regarding Karl-Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bildblog.de/5695/wie-ich-freiherr-von-guttenberg-zu-wilhelm-machte/|publisher=BildBlog.de|title=Wie ich Freiherr von Guttenberg zu Wilhelm machte|language=German|date=2009-02-10}}<br>{{cite web|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/10/2211220|language=English|title=False Fact On Wikipedia Proves Itself|publisher=[[Slashdot]]|date=2009-02-11}}</ref>

* Wikipedia and [[The Independent]] in 2007, regarding Sacha Baron Cohen<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techdebug.com/blog/2008/04/19/wikipedia-article-creates-circular-references/|title=Wikipedia Article creates Circular references|publisher=Tech Debug blog|date=2009-01-14}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Media echo chamber]]
* [[Circular reference]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Literary criticism]]
[[Category:Communication of falsehoods]]
[[Category:Criticism of journalism]]





TODO: 

- more thoroughly review these google searches (and variants on them).  These make it POSSIBLE to avoid vast mismatches for the word "circular"
        {"circular reporting" sources}
        {"circular reporting" intelligence}}
        {"circular reporting" HUMINT}}
        {"circular reporting" "false confirmation"}


- "circular" doesn't always mean "circular"?  i.e. it can just mean "unintentionally duplicated"?
            http://www.amiinter.com/in_search_of.pdf
            http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/zforum/03/sp_world_goodman061003.htm
            http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/army/tradoc/usaic/mipb/1999-1/pick-rentner-dukat.htm
            http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjFkZDI3NzdjZDIwMzQ2YTAzM2U2OTY4ZjUyNTQ2YTA=
    - http://www.mydeployment.net/viewtopic.php?p=1109&sid=800c941c3f5ebbe1f77295dfe5662779 
        "two groups reporting the same thing from the same source"
    - http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/milreview/English/SepOct06/Teamey-Sweet.pdf
        "when two collectors receive the same intelligence from the same source and report it independently"
    http://books.google.com/books?id=Zj8D144UXhgC&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=%22circular+reporting%22+source&source=bl&ots=7durbPvnEE&sig=yzzUZXB6YbUbmSDEWXB44ND1-Co&hl=en&ei=kD6TSZDnIpCCNdi75PIL&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result
        Circular reporting occurs when what is reported is fed back to the originator in revised fashion which makes it difficult to objectively view the end product until you can trace back the sources to determine where the original information actually came from.  Pan Am would eventually try to play that game by trying to introduce into court news reports that they themselves had a hand in producing.

        

- use the edit summary  "Yeah, unfortunately the citations are lousy, and the article is self-referential.  Ironic, innit?"

- create backlinks from:
    [[Media echo chamber]]
    [[Circular reference]]