The European Journalism Centre has released a new verification handbook, which aims to help journalists source and verify information gathered from open source information and user generated content.
This is the second handbook released by the centre, which last year published a Verification Handbook which aims to help journalists and aid workers verify user generated information, images and video when covering emergencies and other breaking stories.
This second handbook focuses on investigative journalism, covering areas such as advanced online search and research, investigating with databases, and ethical principles in digital investigations.
“While the initial Verification Handbook centred on verification for breaking news coverage, this handbook provides the fundamentals of online search and research techniques for investigations,” the EJC stated in a press release. “It goes deeper into techniques for UGC investigations; it provides best practices for evaluating and verifying open data, gives sound advice on workflow for fact-checking investigative projects and ethical approaches to UGC in investigations.
“Comprised of ten chapters and three case studies, this Handbook has gathered knowledge and expertise from some of the world’s leading media, research and civil society organisations, including BBC, Bellingcat, Der Spiegel, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting, the Arab Reporters for Investigative Reporting, Amnesty International, WITNESS, The SecDev Foundation and SAM.”
Both books are available to read online for free.
