Tools and resources for journalists covering the war in Ukraine
The internet is full of user-generated content, questionable information, and claims from unverified sources. We’ve put together a list of tools and resources for journalists covering the war in Ukraine, whether for publication or on social media.
Verified Updates
The British organization Full Fact regularly publishes factual updates on Ukraine. You can also use its toolkit to help you spot misinformation.
Another great source of verified information comes from the nonprofit news organization Bellingcat which publishes and updates a spreadsheet of dubious and debunked claims. It informs you about the story of the incident and gives you the verified version, along with the link to the original source. For more information on how Russia spreads disinformation, read this article.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) has published this helpful thread with lots of tips on covering the Ukrainian war.
As Russia attacks Ukraine, here’s a thread with resources and news articles that today’s journalists may find useful. Please share and add suggestions
1️⃣ Here is a public database of questionable footage debunked and periodically updated by @bellingcat https://t.co/6fOoyvTOQ5 pic.twitter.com/PVPnaejjzq
— Reuters Institute (@risj_oxford) February 24, 2022
Fact Checking Tools
UK non-profit fact checker First Draft offers a great collection of training courses and toolkits to help you spot and tackle misinformation. These are also available in French, Spanish and German.
If you’re looking for a crash course in fact-checking, these videos from Pointer show you what to do and what tools to use when verifying information.
Checking images and videos is an absolute must, as they travel at the speed of light. Here are nine tools you can use, rounded up by IJNet.
Misinformation is a tool of aggression and is widely used today.
We support our fact-checking community in Ukraine and strongly encourage you to follow and contact @voxukraine and @StopFakingNews before sharing images and news from Ukraine.
— International Fact Checking Network (@factchecknet) February 24, 2022
Nieman Laboratory has put together a list of resources, from Twitter lists and live blogs to maps and free translation tools.
There are a few on which we have featured Journalism.co.uk. Here are eight resources for verifying information and tips for reporting misinformation from official sources (the sandwich of truth).
Ethics, safety and trauma
There is a fine line between public service news and sensationalism. To help you navigate some of the ethical challenges of sharing news and visuals from Ukraine, Poynter summarizes ethical considerations for journalists as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds.
The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma brings together resources for journalists reporting on conflict survivors and refugees.
There is also a helpful guide from the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) on essential steps for journalists in emergencies.
If you’re going to talk to attack survivors and refugees, here’s what to do before, during and after the interview. Although the article was written during the conflict in Afghanistan, all advice applies.
War reporting is not just for war correspondents – newsroom staff also suffer from PTSD and vicarious trauma should be taken seriously. Here are some tips for journalists to protect their mental health when witnessing these tragic events.
What tools and resources did we miss? Get in touch
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