How to Verify Photos and Videos

With “fake news” such a hot topic, how can you quickly and effectively verify materials that may be, well, fake?

Most fake photos and videos can be checked quite quickly, allowing journalists and researchers to stop the spread of so-called “fake news” before it gets onto your Facebook feed. This course will help you develop an eye for fake photos and video, allowing you to establish the originality and veracity of the content. These skills are especially useful in a breaking news situation, in which verifying a photo or video will not just tell you if it’s real, but also additional information that can provide additional information for further reporting.

Handouts:
- Presentation slides and notes
- Case studies and exercises to try outside of training

Who should take this training:
- Journalists and editors concerned with verifying content and fact-checking
- Researchers and activists who work with user-generated digital content, such as videos on YouTube, photographs from Instagram, and so on.
- Journalists and journalism students looking for an edge in discovering potentially hidden information in photographs and videos to further an investigation.

About the Instructor:

Aric Toler is an analyst at Bellingcat, leading Eurasia and Eastern Europe research. He focused on Russian literature and intellectual history in his graduate studies at the University of Kansas and worked as an intelligence specialist in the private sector before coming to Bellingcat. He leads training workshops in Russian and English to equip journalists, researchers, and activists with digital investigation and verification skills, with a focus on training journalists in the former Soviet Union. His research has focused on verifying Russian-language media, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and the ongoing investigation into the downing of Flight MH17.