Sonat

Article summary

Sonat, Inc., was a large Fortune 500 American energy holding company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company was founded in 1928 and was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SNT". Sonat was primarily involved in natural gas transmission and marketing and oil and gas exploration and production. The company was also involved in contract offshore drilling until 1995 when the offshore business became Transocean. Sonat was a leader and pioneer in natural gas transmission and offshore drilling, establishing many industry firsts in both sectors. In 1999, Sonat merged with El Paso Corporation.

Key claims

1. date of formation: 1953 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of formation: 1981 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of formation: 1968 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of foundation: 1928 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. date of foundation: 1928 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. employees: 1,300 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of formation is "1953". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of formation is "1981". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of formation is "1968". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of foundation is "1928". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the date of foundation is "1928". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the employees is "1,300 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
9. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359503347