• Check if a Twitter or Facebook Verified account is actually verified by hovering over the blue check. If the account is verified by Twitter or Facebook, a popup will say “Verified Account” or “Verified Page.” When dealing with images and videos, adopt the shooter’s perspective. (These questions also work when trying to verify textual information.) Ask yourself these questions about the source to check their credibility: • Who are they? • Where are they? • When did they get there? • What could they see (and what does their photo/video show)? • Where do they stand? • Why are they there? Connect their activity to any other online accounts they maintain by asking these questions: • Search Twitter or Facebook for the unique video code - are there affiliated accounts? • Are there other accounts - Google Plus, a blog or website - listed on the video profile or otherwise affiliated with this uploader? • What information do affiliated accounts give that indicate recent location, activity, reliability, bias or agenda? • How long have these accounts been active? How active are they? (The longer and more active, the more reliable they probably are.) • Who are the social media accounts connected with, and what does this tell us about the uploader? • Can we find whois information for an affiliated website? • Is the person listed in local phone directories, on Spokeo, Pipl.com or WebMii or on LinkedIn? • Do their online social circles indicate they are close to this story/location? Content Date Verify the date and approximate time, particularly when dealing with photos/videos: • Check the weather information on the day and the location where the event happened. Is the weather condition the same from the (local) weather forecasts and other uploads from the same event? Use Wolfram Alpha to perform a search (e.g., “What was the weather in London, England, on January 20, 2014?”). • Search news sources for reports about events on that day. • Using video and image search (YouTube, Google, TinEye, etc.), see if any earlier pieces of content from the same event predate your example. (Be aware that YouTube date stamps using Pacific Standard Time from the moment the upload begins.) 100