A clip posted today may show an event from years ago. Before forwarding it with a confident caption, separate three dates: when the event happened, when the footage was first published and when the version in front of you was reposted.
Google News Initiative's reverse-image-search lesson describes searching images to find earlier uses and context. A distinctive frame from a video can provide a starting point. A search match is evidence to inspect, not an automatic verdict about the entire clip.
Make a small verification log
Use this original exercise on a harmless public clip, such as a historic event performance. Avoid exposing a private person or spreading a harmful claim merely to practise.
Record:
- the current post's URL, caption and date;
- a clear frame containing a distinctive object or setting;
- the exact words you searched;
- each earlier matching upload you found;
- what the earlier description says about the event;
- what remains unconfirmed.
Compare the actual images, not only the thumbnails. A crop, new caption or replacement audio may change the story a viewer takes from the same footage.
If an older matching upload predates a claim that the scene happened yesterday, that is a reason to reject the “yesterday” caption. It does not necessarily reveal the original filming date. Write earliest matching upload I found, rather than first upload ever, unless you can establish more.
Keep uncertainty out of the headline
When you cannot establish context, do not label the clip as a new local event. You can leave it unshared. If you are discussing the uncertainty itself, state exactly which part is unresolved.
The habit is also useful when checking an unfamiliar work platform: the appearance of a screenshot does not replace examining the underlying source.
Verification is quiet effort. Someone who takes time to check a date contributes more than another account repeating a dramatic caption.
Before sending the clip onward, ask whether your message preserves the date and limitation you discovered. A careful investigation can still be undone by an overconfident one-line share.