In the days that followed the US and Israel’s joint military strike on Iran on Saturday, floods of images and videos that supposedly document the war have appeared online. Some are old or depict unrelated conflicts, are made or manipulated with AI, and in some cases, are actually taken from military-themed video games like War Thunder.
With misinformation spreading like wildfire, many people have placed their trust in reputable digital investigators. Organizations like The New York Times, Indicator, and Bellingcat have extensive verification procedures to avoid publishing synthetic or misleading content. “Audiences can turn to trusted, independent news organizations that take the time and effort to authenticate visuals and clearly explain sourcing,” Charlie Stadtlander, executive director for media relations and communications at The Times, told The Verge. Media authentication methods are rarely foolproof, but standards are extremely high, and experts have years of experience with evading fake news.
This process is no easy task, especially given the lack of reliable deepfake detection tools. But learning from the experts can help us to better protect ourselves when news events are dominating digital spaces — so here are some of the tricks they use.
Step one: look very, very closely
When unverified images of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro suddenly proliferated on social media after his abduction by the US in January, The Times’ Visual Investigations team jumped into action. They scrutinized the images for visual inconsistencies “that would suggest they were not authentic” — such as one example that featured an aircraft with odd-looking windows.
This wasn’t enough to definitively prove the pictures were fake. “But even the remote chance that the images were not genuine — coupled with the fact they came from unknown sources, and details like Mr. Maduro’s clothing being different between the two images — was strong enough to disqualify them from publication,” The Times’ photography director Meaghan Looram said in the article.
We’re mostly past the days of identifying AI-generated deepfakes by counting how many fingers a person has, but there are usually still subtle indicators — for instance, check the architecture and figures in the backgrounds for unexplained oddities.
Step two: consider the source and its reputation
One image of Maduro that The Times did publish — showing the Venezuelan leader in custody — came from President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account. That doesn’t mean Trump or any other government official is a reliable source — he has a habit of disseminating AI fakery online, and the integrity of government handouts generally can be difficult to establish. Authenticity concerns were also flagged for the image in question, regarding its poor quality and unusually cropped dimensions.
“In this case, the president’s Truth Social post itself was newsworthy, even if we had no surefire way to confirm that the image was authentic,” said Looram. But it was published on The Times’ homepage as part of a screenshot of Trump’s full post, not in isolation. “Displaying it in context means that, if the image proves to be inauthentic in some way, we will not have presented it as a legitimate news photo, but rather as a communication from the President.”
You don’t need to be familiar with the individual or organizations to spot potential red flags. One easy method is to check if the account is fairly new (or, if it’s older, has no posts before a fairly recent date.) ShowtoolsAI and Riddance creator Jeremy Carrasco calls this the “Account Age Paradox”: because the technology for convincing deepfakes is fairly recent, accounts pushing it were likely created when those AI models were released, and older fakes are easier to spot.
Step three: check the digital footprint
Sometimes you can quickly debunk fake news by checking if the same photos and videos have been posted elsewhere. You can do this manually by searching for related topics online, or using search engine features like Google’s reverse image search tool. The original source may be older and completely unrelated to the context it’s now being shared with, such as one post claiming to show missiles striking an Israeli nuclear facility that was actually footage from Ukraine in 2017.
OSINT platform Bellingcat uses a mix of visual checks, cross-referencing, and software tools, including Google and Yandex for reverse image searches, and extracting metadata from images using ExifTool. These investigations generally take time, however, and the growing accessibility of generative AI tools is making it harder to keep up.
“The flood of convincing fakes has sped things up and given bad actors a handy ‘it could be AI’ excuse to dismiss real footage,” Bellingcat creative director Eliot Higgins told The Verge. “Our methods still hold because we focus on provenance and context, not just pixels, but the noise level is way higher now.”
Step four: establish the date and location
If a photo or video was supposedly taken in a specific place, you can use satellite images or apps like Google Maps to cross-reference if the location matches. Markers like flags, logos, and equipment can also be used to determine the time period and location, something that The Times did in 2022 to verify footage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The publications’ Investigations Team can even estimate what time of day a photo was taken via websites like SunCalc that measure shadows, and may use footage from nearby CCTV and security cameras to corroborate the image.
Simply distinguishing real photographs from entirely synthetic images isn’t enough. How much editing or manipulation is permitted before a photograph is no longer considered real? A universally accepted answer doesn’t exist, but Higgins says his personal definition of a photo is “a real moment captured by light on a sensor or film.”
“It’s evidence of what actually existed in that time and place. Minor tweaks like cropping or contrast are fine and always have been, but once you add, remove, or fabricate elements (especially with AI), it’s no longer a photo, it’s digital art or propaganda,” says Higgins. “Authenticity lives in honest provenance, not perfect pixels; that’s why real ground-truth images still matter more than any fake ever will.”
“The average person needs to understand that the current information environment is tilted towards manipulation and deception”
Fake news expert and cofounder of open-source intelligence (OSINT) platform Indicator Craig Silverman says it’s still important for every online user to remain vigilant. “The average person needs to understand that the current information environment is tilted towards manipulation and deception. This requires you to scroll with an awareness of how easily images, video, and text can be manipulated,” Silverman told The Verge. “Add in the fact that major social platforms have largely failed to live up to their promises to label AI-generated content, and you get a chaotic, deception-filled, digital landscape that overwhelms and misinforms.”
Everyday folks can help to prevent misinformation from spreading by pausing before sharing anything emotional or viral online. Many of the verification tools that trusted newsrooms are using can be accessed for free by anyone. Cross-check any suspicious posts with multiple independent sources if you don’t want to do the legwork yourself.
“Remember that it takes time for information to develop, especially when it comes to fast-moving conflicts and other news stories,” says Silverman. “Awareness and patience are critical, and they don’t require tools or expertise. But you do have to practice.”
