he saw. The photo inadvertently became one of the first examples of the UGC image verification process that has since moved toward standard practice across the industry. That image, and others like it, showed the terror and chaos in London during the moments immediately after the attacks. As a result, it ensured that the reporting of the story quickly changed. It was the first significant example of UGC’s proving critical to helping BBC News tell a major story more accurately, better and faster. Today, the UGC team is embedded within the heart of the BBC newsroom. Its 20 journalists work across TV, radio, online and social media platforms to produce content sourced either directly from the BBC’s audiences or from the wider Web. Verification is critical to the success of what the UGC team produces. Technology has moved on considerably since 2005, bringing an exponential rise in the use of social networks and the power of mobile phones. These changes offer great benefits in our newsgathering processes, particularly on breaking news; they also bring great challenges. Whether a trusted global news organization like the BBC or a humanitarian professional on the ground, the need to be fast at collecting and disseminating key images on a breaking news story has to be balanced with the need to be sure the images are credible and genuine. We also have to ensure copyright is protected and appropriate permissions are sought. Since that day in 2005, the UGC team has developed a number of approaches to help in this process. While the technology will continue to change - as will the tools we use - the basic principles of image verification remain the same: 1. Establish the author/originator of the image. 2. Corroborate the location, date and approximate time the image was taken. 3. Confirm the image is what it is labeled/suggested to be showing. 4. Obtain permission from the author/originator to use the image. Let’s look at these points in more detail. 1. Establish the author/originator of the image The obvious - and usually most effective - way of doing this is to contact the uploader and ask him directly if he is indeed the person who took the image. Reaching out to the uploader via the social network account or email address the image was shared from is a first step, but it’s also important to try to ascertain as much about the uploader’s identity as possible. These details can help in determining whether he is in fact the original source of the image. 36