OSINT-y Goodness, №17 — Verification Handbook
This publication from the European Journalism Centre, the Verification Handbook calls itself, “A definitive guide to verifying digital content for emergency coverage.”
From the website, “Authored by leading journalists from the BBC, Storyful, ABC, Digital First Media and other verification experts, the Verification Handbook is a groundbreaking new resource for journalists and aid providers. It provides the tools, techniques and step-by-step guidelines for how to deal with user-generated content (UGC) during emergencies.”
Although this resource is labeled as being “for journalists,” I strongly believe that all researchers — especially those doing OSINT — should be able to discern the truth from the fiction found online.
The main publication is available in the following languages:
- Arabic
- Croatian
- English
- French
- Greek
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
The main publication can be downloaded for free from the main website.
There are two companion publications.
(1) The Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting
(2) The Verification Handbook: Additional Materials
In the “additional materials” publication, there is a good analysis of the differences between verification and fact checking. Read more about it here.
In fact, the entire “additional materials” supplement is chock full of great information for any researcher.
You can even download their press kit and register to get updates.
They also maintain an online presence on Twitter and Facebook.
The only thing that seems strange about this site is that it’s not HTTPS. So, you get those scary “NOT SECURE” warnings when you go to it. I don’t know if that is for a reason, or if they need assistance with HTTPS. As with any online resource, proceed with caution if you are unsure about it.
