Photos and videos: is it real, and is it new?

During floods, riots and elections, old photos and videos are shared again as if they were new. Some pictures are edited; more often a real picture is given a false caption. Before you use any picture you did not take, answer three questions: Is it real? Is it from here? Is it from now?

## Search for earlier copies
Run a reverse image search with Google Lens, Bing Visual Search or TinEye. If the same picture appears in older posts or news reports, it is not new. For a video, take screenshots of a few key frames and search those — the free InVID-WeVerify browser plugin does this for you.

## Look closely
- Signs, shop names, number plates and language: do they match the place claimed?
- Weather and season: is there rain, snow or bright sun that day?
- Shadows and the sun: do they fit the time claimed?
- Landmarks you can find on a map or in Street View.

## Find the person who took it
The best check is to reach the person who recorded it. Ask where and when they took it and whether they have the original file. Social media platforms usually remove the hidden data (EXIF) that records when and where a photo was taken, so the original file can tell you more than the post.

## Use it honestly
If you use a picture you could not fully verify, say so in the caption, and always credit the person who took it. Never use a picture of a different event "to illustrate" a story without saying so clearly.