Identifying fake images is getting harder. Because doctored photos can be nearly impossible to spot with the human eye, more journalists are relying on image search engines for digital newsrooms to recognize fake content before accidentally re-publishing false information.
If you are looking for a streamlined way to verify photos and find out where images originally appeared, check out this list of the five most useful image search engines for digital newsrooms.
The Best Image Search Engines for Digital Newsrooms
1. TinEye
Frequently cited as one of the top image search engines for digital newsrooms, TinEye offers a reverse image search feature that’s useful when you want to search by image and find where an image appears online. An “Alerts” feature can also be setup to notify reporters when their images start showing up on other websites or social media platforms. The algorithm is even capable of finding images when they’ve been modified. In addition to manually uploading photos via the TinEye website, the company also offers a browser extension through the Chrome web store, so reporters can quickly right-click any photo to see where else that photo has been published online.
2. RevEye
RevEye is another one of the top image search engines for digital newsrooms. Although it works similarly to TinEye, RevEye is available as a browser add-on. RevEye does a good job of recognizing where images appear online. It provides reporters with reverse image search results based on the results provided by Google reverse image search. Digital newsrooms may want to add RevEye to their workflows to make sure reporters aren’t accidentally posted stolen images, to avoid being “catfished,” and to make sure the images they own the rights to aren’t being used improperly by other publishers on the web.
3. Google
Did you know that you can find related images using reverse image search in Google? When you upload a photo, Google will find similar images published publicly on the web, along with links to the websites where those images are posted. Google’s reverse image search feature also pulls up other sizes of a publisher’s posted images. The feature is available on the web at images.google.com or via Google Lens. Reporters most often use Google’s reverse image search to figure out the identities of people in photos.
4. FotoForensics
Developed by a computer scientist, FotoForensics helps researchers and professional investigators determine whether viral videos have been faked. That makes this an especially useful tool when digital newsrooms need to be absolutely clear on what they are posting online. FotoForensics works differently from other tools on this list. The website collects images that are submitted, along with information about those images, and provides users with reports that indicate whether the images have been tampered with or edited. The information that FotoForensics provides can be difficult to interpret as a novice, however reporters who use the tool frequently will be able to quickly tell whether a picture has been edited to look a certain way.
5. YouTube DataViewer
Amnesty International’s YouTube DataViewer extracts hidden data from YouTube videos. Digital reporters can use the web-based tool to learn more details about videos they find on YouTube. The tool also pulls out thumbnail images from posted videos, and offers links that users can click on to quickly run those thumbnails through Google’s reverse image search. In addition to gathering metadata about the videos they find posted online, YouTube DataViewer can help reporters at digital newsrooms uncover whether older versions of videos have been published anywhere else on the web.
If you need help integrating these image search engines into your newsroom’s workflow, or you are looking for web developers to help grow your digital publication, contact Web Publisher PRO today.
