Before sharing or acting on breaking war news, separate what is confirmed from what is merely reported. Identify the exact claim, trace it to original evidence, and check whether apparently separate reports are genuinely independent. For photos and video, verify both where and when they were made.
Start by breaking the claim into testable parts
Write down exactly what the report says, then separate the details: what happened, where, when, who was involved, and what consequences are claimed. “An attack happened” is not one fact to verify: the location, timing, responsible actor, target and reported damage may each have different evidence behind them.
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Keep the wording narrow. If a source says an explosion occurred but does not establish who caused it, do not turn that into a claim about responsibility. If a report gives a casualty figure, record who supplied it and when.
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Find the earliest available statement, document, eyewitness account, photograph or video behind a report. Then ask whether another source obtained its information independently. Several headlines may repeat the same official statement or social-media post; that is repetition, not several independent confirmations.
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The Associated Press describes its approach as confirming facts through several independent, reliable sources. Bellingcat likewise advises checking whether a secondary source gathered information independently rather than merely repeating an earlier account. Preserve the link to the earliest source you can find, and distinguish original material from reposts.
Assess each source, not just its reputation
No outlet is reliable for every claim in every conflict. Compare what each source can actually establish:
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- Access: Did the source witness the event or inspect the underlying evidence, or is it relying on someone else?
- Provenance: Is the material original, and can you trace who first published it?
- Attribution: Are sources named and claims clearly attributed, or is the basis vague?
- Independence: Do reports have separate evidence, or do they all lead back to the same source?
- Corrections and updates: Does the outlet revise its account when facts change?
- Verifiability: Do images, chronology and other details withstand checks against the claim?
Statements from governments and armed groups are evidence of what those parties are claiming, but should not automatically be treated as independently established facts. Bellingcat’s conflict-verification guidance emphasizes tracing sources and checking claims against other evidence.
Verify a photo or video in both place and time
A genuine image can still be used with a false caption. A clip may show the claimed location but have been recorded months or years before the event being reported. Treat “this is the right place” and “this shows the current event” as separate questions.
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- Find the earliest post. Look for the first known upload and assess whether the account appears to be the original creator rather than a reposter.
- Search for earlier appearances. Reverse-search the image or screenshots of distinctive video frames to find older copies or different captions.
- Check the location. Compare visible landmarks, architecture, terrain, road markings, signs, language and other details with the claimed place.
- Check the date and context. Examine weather, shadows, ambient sounds and other cues, and search for evidence that the material appeared earlier. A location match alone does not prove the date or event.
- Inspect the material. When possible, examine the original rather than a compressed repost. Look for edits, reframing, mismatched audio, inconsistent movement or shadows, and other signs that context may be missing or the clip altered.
- Seek confirmation and permission. Look for independent reporting or contact the original filmer to confirm authorship and ask permission before republishing.
AP describes practices including reverse-image searches, geolocation, visual comparisons, frame-by-frame checks and contacting original uploaders in its user-generated content verification guidance. Bellingcat documents recycled footage, fake audio, manipulated video and AI-generated images as risks in conflict reporting. AI-detection tools can be fallible; treat a result as a lead, not proof, and seek provenance and independent evidence.
Attribute changing figures and claims carefully
Early accounts can conflict, especially on casualty numbers. In its Yemen investigation methodology, Bellingcat notes that exact casualty figures can be inaccurate amid contradictory reports. Attribute a number to the person or organization that supplied it and note the time of the report; do not present an early or disputed figure as final.
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Bellingcat’s Yemen Collection Protocol defines “confirmed” for its own airstrike investigation as requiring multiple verification techniques and cross-referencing at least three sources. That is a project-specific method, not a universal threshold for verifying war news. Whatever label you use, explain what evidence supports it and what remains unverified.
Keep a live record and label uncertainty
Verification continues as a breaking story develops. Keep notes on the claim, source links, timestamps, attributions and changes. Make clear whether a point is independently corroborated, reported by a named party, or still uncertain. Do not turn “reported by” into “confirmed,” and update the account when stronger evidence changes what is known.
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Do not amplify harm while checking a claim
Do not repost an unverified allegation or disturbing footage just because it is widely shared. If graphic material is not necessary to establish a fact, rely on reputable reporting or a text description instead. Bellingcat’s conflict guidance urges people to consider whether there is a genuine reason to view graphic footage, which can cause distress.
Quick Recap
Further reading on verification
- The Verification Handbook is an emergency guide to verifying user-generated content for journalists, citizen reporters, aid providers and others.
- UNESCO’s 2018 publication, Journalism, Fake News & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training, includes practical online-verification lessons. The listing was updated in 2024.
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