Preserve the current claim
Save the page URL and note its wording and date. Keep a copy of the image for the search if you are permitted to use it. Without the claim's context, it is easy to investigate a different assertion than the one being made.
Build the timeline
- Search the full photograph.
- Open likely earlier publications.
- Compare distinctive details to confirm it is the same image.
- Read whether the earlier page itself describes an archive image.
Two photographs of a recurring festival may look similar without depicting the same year. Look for exact composition, object placement and other surviving details rather than relying on the event's general appearance.
State the result carefully
An earlier documented copy can contradict a claim that the picture was first taken today. It does not automatically resolve every claim about today's event. Keep the visual timeline and the broader news claim separate in your notes.
Continue with tracing an original source.
Published by Facehunch with AI assistance. How we use sources and maintain these guides.