Verification guide

How to verify news images

During breaking news, three kinds of imagery circulate within an hour: real footage of the event, old footage reshared as if it is current, and generated imagery that never recorded the event at all. The three questions below separate them, ordered from cheapest to most expensive.

1. Who posted it first?

Find the oldest version, not the most shared one. Use reverse image search and sort by date. Imagery claiming 'now' but three years old is context misinformation — the most common form, and no detector is needed to catch it.

2. Does the environment hold up?

Compare weather, shadows, licence plates, street furniture and vegetation with known imagery of the location. A sunny street on a day it rained there is old-fashioned but effective evidence.

3. Does the imagery carry generation signals?

Only now does the detector come in. Upload the image to the image detector or sample a video with the video checker. A strong signal with an untraceable source is a reason not to share. A low signal with a traceable, consistent source is a reason for cautious trust.

What not to do

• Do not share unverified imagery 'with a question mark' — the spread is the harm, not the intent.
• Do not accuse a photographer on a score alone; compression and editing disturb signals.
• Do not rely on one check. Source, environment and signal must agree.

Also read the seven manual checks and the detector's measured limits.