Here’s how to separate fact from fiction with real, recent examples of misinformation.

1. Be Cautious
Treat all footage and claims with caution. Sometimes real footage can be attributed to false claims and vice versa...

2. Think Critically
Particularly about big, incendiary claims. When big news stories hit, we see a lot of recycled footage posted on social media. Recycled footage is footage from other conflicts or time periods that are published as if they are from the current event.

Often details in the footage like signage or other details in the surroundings can give a clue to the true time or place the video was taken...

3. Check the Source
Responsible researchers will always name the source of footage they share or analyse. Too often footage goes viral without a source—let alone an original one—listed. Be cautious if the source of the video or claim is unclear.

Simply checking the source listed can often quickly debunk any suspicious claims. TikTok videos re-shared on other platforms, for instance, usually have the original poster’s username watermarked onto the footage...

4. Remember that the Same Location Doesn’t Mean the Same Incident
Even if the footage is from the area, it doesn’t mean it is from the same event.

One simple way to check is to use Google reverse image search on video screenshots to see if they’ve been posted before...

5. Be Savvy to Manipulation and AI Generation
When all footage or photographs connected to an event go viral, you often see accounts pop up distributing manipulated or altogether fake imagery. Free and easy to access AI-powered image generation tools have now made this type of content faster to create and more common.
Although not always accurate, tools like aiornot.com can help disprove claims quickly...

6. Be Cautious of State Actors, Which Sometimes Share Staged or Unreliable Footage
In times of conflict, it is not unknown for state actors to imply bad faith on the part of their adversaries. In some cases, staged videos appear online...

7. Know That, Sometimes, News Organisations Get it Wrong
When you discover new claims about footage, always check for a secondary media source, ideally one that has obtained the information independently of the first source. News organisations and leading figures can sometimes use quotes from each other as sources of information (see an example that we found here) and sometimes verification steps slip through the cracks...


8. Protect Your Mental Health
Watching footage from war zones can cause trauma.

Be careful viewing unknown footage. There is almost always an abundance of highly disturbing content circulating during times of conflict.

Always ask yourself if there is a genuine reason you need to view this footage. Organisations like Bellingcat have teams of researchers trained to view such footage with therapeutic support in place to assist them. If you do find something that needs attention, you can share it with a trusted news source rather than viewing it and amplifying it yourself.

If you are an open-source researcher, you can find Bellingcat’s guide explaining ways to better protect your mental health whilst undertaking this role here. The Dart Center also has robust advice on the risk of vicarious trauma.