How to verify a photo: a checklist for journalists and fact-checkers

Verifying a photo comes down to five questions: is it the original, who took or first published it, when and where it was taken, and why it is being shared now. Below is a practical order and the warning signs to look for.

Check a picture How it works

The five questions

1. Is it the original or a copy?
2. Who took it or first published it?
3. When was it taken?
4. Where was it taken?
5. Why is it being shared now?

Before you start

• Get the earliest version you can: the file itself rather than a screenshot, and the link to the post where you saw it.
• Note where and when you first saw it: the post, the account, the time.
• Save a copy of the page in a web archive, or take a screenshot with the address visible. Posts get deleted.

1. Is it the original?

Most misleading pictures are real photos taken somewhere else or years earlier. Start by looking for earlier copies.

• Search for earlier copies with more than one reverse image search. Each covers a different part of the web.
• Compare versions. Crops, mirrored copies, added captions or watermarks often point to the original.
• Prefer the largest, least compressed copy. It is usually closer to the source.

2. Who took it or first published it?

The earliest copy gives you a lead. Find the account or site behind it.

• Look at the account’s history. Does it post its own photos from that place, or mostly reposts?
• Read the caption and comments under the earliest copy. They often name the author.
• When it matters, contact the author and ask for the original file.

3. When was it taken?

Dates come from three places, and each can mislead: the file, the page and the scene itself.

• The date stored in the file is a clue. It is often missing, and social networks usually strip it.
• A date reported by a search tool usually means when the picture was first seen, which can be later than when it was published.
• Check the scene: season, weather, daylight and shadows should fit the claimed date.

4. Where was it taken?

Look for anything in the frame that narrows the place: signs and text, language, phone numbers, shop names, landmarks, road markings, architecture, plants.

• Read every bit of text. Part of a sign or a phone code can be enough to name a country or a city.
• Compare the scene with maps and with satellite or street-level imagery of the place you suspect.
• Write down how precise the result is: a building, a street, a district or only a region.

5. Why is it being shared now?

A genuine photo can still be used to mislead. Compare what the picture shows with what the post claims.

• Does the caption match the date and place you found?
• Is an old or distant event being presented as today’s news?
• Who benefits from the claim, and is there any evidence for it besides the picture?

Warning signs

• The earliest copy is older than the event it supposedly shows.
• The same picture circulates with different captions in different places.
• The account that posted it has no history in that place, or only reposts.
• Text, language or number plates in the frame do not match the claimed country.
• Only cropped or low-resolution copies circulate, and nobody has the original.

How Retrace helps

Retrace covers the first four questions in a single report: earlier copies with dates, who published them, what the frame shows and the place on a map with its precision. Each finding links to its source. The fifth question, why the picture is spreading, is yours to answer. No single tool sees the whole web, so compare Retrace with others.

See how popular image search tools differ: comparison.

Write down what you checked

For each claim, note what you checked, the link to the evidence and how strong it is: measured on the picture itself, confirmed by independent sources, or resting on one. Someone else should be able to repeat your check.

Questions

See also

• Find the original
• Fake or recycled?
• Where was it taken
• Who uses my photo
• When first published
• Retrace vs other tools
• FAQ