How We Verify Our Reporting on the Ukraine War

The Instances has deployed dozens of reporters, photographers, videographers, audio journalists, writers and others to Ukraine and the international locations bordering it to ship real-time, unbiased, in-depth protection of the battle and its reverberations throughout the area. Instances journalists are witnessing occasions on the bottom as they unfold, reporting from battlefields, hospitals, improvised bomb shelters and contested cities.

We belief our correspondents on the bottom at the beginning. In conditions the place they can’t be bodily current, we work to acquire dependable, first-hand details about occasions, interviewing witnesses all through the area. We try to see by the fog of propaganda and misinformation that emanates from governments on each side of the battle.

Our workforce of visible and graphics editors have analyzed tons of of satellite tv for pc pictures, images and movies of troop actions and combating, permitting us to map the Russian invasion and make sure independently the place troopers are stationed, who holds key cities and what injury is being finished to the nation’s bridges, residence buildings, faculties and procuring facilities.

How We Use Social Media to Cowl the Warfare

A few of the richest sources of knowledge come from witnesses who use social media to share movies, photographs and reviews of what’s occurring of their communities.

However can the knowledge be trusted? To confirm the authenticity of those pictures and to find out if they really depict what they declare, the Visible Investigations workforce at The Instances has been monitoring social channels across the clock for the reason that conflict started, working from Kyiv, Madrid, The Netherlands, London and New York.

The workforce, which incorporates Ukrainian researchers, has vetted tons of of movies to find out if they’re actual, or misrepresentations. When a hospital is bombed or residents film shelling of their communities, Instances journalists authenticate the place and when every video was filmed, use forensic video instruments and different methods to substantiate that the video has not been manipulated or faked, interview witnesses and collaborate with their Instances colleagues inside Ukraine to find out what’s truly occurring.

How We Report on Casualties

The time period “casualties” is used to seek advice from each useless and wounded. We attempt to be as particular as we are able to when describing the toll, offering particular figures for these killed and injured if they’re out there.

In conflict, each side will routinely inflate navy casualty counts for his or her opponents, and downplay their very own to take care of morale. That’s why, on the whole, we keep away from repeating authorities claims about casualties until we’re in a position to independently confirm them. Any unverified claims will likely be recognized as such if we select to make use of them.

We glance to goal casualty counts from the United Nations, Amnesty Worldwide, Human Rights Watch, or different credible third-party organizations. (Right here’s how the U.N. verifies casualties.) And, when doable, we depend on native mayors, governors and police officers, who will seemingly have extra correct counts than prime authorities officers, the place the propaganda machine is operating at full steam. Native hospitals also can present credible accounts of what number of wounded have been admitted after notably grievous assaults, or when there’s widespread combating in city areas.

How We Report on Navy Progress

We’re skeptical of repeating authorities speaking factors about cities or vital infrastructure being captured, with out clear proof or unbiased verification. Cities embody giant areas and neighborhoods might be captured after which retaken; there might be pockets of resistance even when administrative facilities are taken. It isn’t an unusual apply for a authorities to say {that a} metropolis has been captured or troops have surrendered in a bid to harm morale and manipulate the opposition to surrender or withdraw.

On the whole, we attempt to keep away from counting on a single supply and we search to incorporate detailed info every time doable.

When you have questions or considerations about our protection of the conflict in Ukraine, please contact us.