Shocking images can spread around the internet like wildfire, but in the age of social media and disinformation, journalists must verify photographs before jumping to conclusions – even if they are short on time.
In this article from the Global Investigation Journalism Network, freelance journalist Raymond Joseph provides reporters with a step-by-step guide on how to do a reverse image search using a smartphone.
Joseph recommends using a search tool such as the 'Fake Image Detector' app for Android or 'Veracity' for iOS devices, which lets you upload any photo from your gallery. The app can then tell you when and where the picture was taken, which phone or camera was used and even who owns the rights to the image.
He gives a list of tips for verifying images outside of these tools, such as taking a closer look at the weather, clothes and location in the image, as well as using humn logic as to whether what you're looking at is too good to be true.
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