Video workflow
Verify a video or clip.
A workflow for checking frames, older uploads, audio/context clues, and event timing.
Start with the timeline
A video is tied to a date or location claim. You want to check frames, older uploads, and context clues.
News verification, conflict footage review, and social media claims.
Frames and dates
Check the image in this order
Extract key frames
Choose clear frames with landmarks, signs, or unique visual clues.
Frames are tied back to the original clip.
Search older copies
Search frames, captions, and distinct phrases.
Older uploads are recorded with date.
Check place and time clues
Compare maps, weather, shadows, language, and surroundings.
Visual match is not the only proof.
Write a limited result
State what the video supports and what it does not prove.
The report avoids operational or personal harm.
Sources I open
Start with these tools
What I would be careful with here
Know the boundary first
Analyst note
What I can confirm: earlier uploads, selected frames, and the publication timeline. What I still cannot confirm: that upload time equals event time or that the footage alone proves an exact location.
Move to evidence notesSources
Sources for going deeper
- AFP Fact CheckVerification and fact-checkingAgence France-Presse fact-checking site covering viral claims, images, videos, and misinformation.
- Bellingcat Geolocation How-To GuidesVideo verificationBellingcat how-to archive with geolocation and verification guides for public material.
- Bellingcat Online Investigation ToolkitVerification and fact-checkingCurated toolkit and guides for open-source investigation methods.
- Bing Visual SearchImage and reverse-image searchMicrosoft visual search tool for images, products, landmarks, and similar visuals.
- ExifToolImage and reverse-image searchCommand-line utility for reading, writing, and comparing image and media metadata.
- FFmpegVideo verificationOpen-source multimedia toolkit for extracting frames, metadata, and clips from media files.