More than 400 pages of internal papers obtained by The Times reveal how top-level policy led to the creation of the camps in western China where inmates sometimes undergo years of indoctrination and interrogation.

The documents, leaked by a Chinese official concerned about the policies behind the crackdown, showed the direct involvement of senior officials in conceiving and ordering it — including President Xi Jinping.

The basics: Here are five takeaways from our report.

Response: A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that “preventive” measures in Xinjiang had helped to prevent terrorist attacks. But he did not dispute the authenticity of the documents.

Numbed to political news

With impeachment proceedings underway and an election less than a year away, information is crucial. Yet many Americans say they feel disoriented by the rise of social media, the proliferation of online material and a flood of news.

“Now more than ever, the lines between fact-based reporting and opinionated commentary seem blurred for people,” said Evette Alexander, research director at a journalism foundation. “That means they trust what they are seeing less. They are feeling less informed.”

Details: According to one recent poll, 47 percent of Americans believe it’s difficult to know whether the information they encounter is true. About 60 percent say they regularly see conflicting reports about the same set of facts from different sources.