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OSINT for Journalism

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Jieyab edited this page Oct 14, 2024 · 2 revisions

OSINT for Journalism

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a technique of gathering information from publicly available sources and is used for various purposes, including journalism. For a journalist, OSINT can be a very useful tool to gather accurate and relevant data.

  1. News and Social Media Sources
  • Online News Monitor trusted news sites and alternative news platforms for the latest information and context.
  • Social Media Use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to find up-to-date information, public views and direct sources.
  1. Government and Institutional Websites
  • Official Government Sites Access public data, annual reports and statistics from government websites.
  • Reports and Publications Search for reports from research institutes, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  1. Verification and Validation
  • Reverse Image Search Use tools like Google Images or TinEye to verify the authenticity of images and find the original source.
  • Cross-Referencing Verify information by comparing multiple independent sources to ensure accuracy.
  • Check Sources Cross-reference information from multiple reputable sources to confirm its validity.
  • Authenticate Media Use reverse image search and metadata analysis to verify the origin and context of images and videos.
  • Fact-Check Statements Compare statements and claims against publicly available records and data.
  • Must to know the 5W+1H understand the content as well as the context, history and verification of evidence.
  1. Monitoring and Alerts
  • Google Alerts Set alerts for specific search terms to get notified about the latest news or articles.
  • RSS Feeds Follow the news feed to keep up to date with the latest news.
  • Create your own tools, make web monitoring to scrapped and own have your own database, store some useful metadata.
  1. Context

Providing context is crucial for any investigative story. OSINT allows journalists to gather comprehensive background information that enriches the narrative:

  • Historical Data Access archives and historical records to understand the background and evolution of a story.
  • Geographical Information Use mapping tools to visualize locations and spatial relationships.
  • Social Context Analyze social media trends and public sentiment to gauge the broader impact of the story.
  1. SOCMINT

Social media platforms are gold mines for OSINT. Here’s how to tap into them:

  • Profiles and Posts Analyze profiles, posts, comments, and interactions.
  • Hashtags and Keywords Track relevant hashtags and keywords.
  • Geotagging Utilize geotagged posts to gather location-specific information.
  • Archived Data Use tools like the Wayback Machine to access deleted or altered content.

Tools

  1. Search Engines: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo
  2. Social Media Analysis: TweetDeck, Crowdtangle, Social Bearing
  3. Image Verification: Google Reverse Image Search, TinEye
  4. Public Records: Pipl, Spokeo, LexisNexis
  5. Mapping and Geolocation: Google Earth, OpenStreetMap, Geofeedia
  6. Check on readme Jieyab repo

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