Discover why journalists use open-source intelligence (OSINT) to verify information, expose manipulation, and strengthen public trust in the news.
The internet contains vast amounts of publicly available information. Open-source intelligence – commonly known as OSINT – is the practice of gathering and analysing that public information systematically to uncover the truth. For journalists, this is not a niche skill reserved for data specialists. It is becoming a core part of the job.
Sources for this piece
We have pulled together the findings of two studies into the use of OSINT, which are referenced at the bottom of this article. In line with our AI policy, we have used Gemini and Claude to sift out the main points from both reports in order to create a simplified guide to a complex topic – one that is having a profound impact on journalism.
What OSINT means in practice
Every time someone goes online they leave behind traces. It could be email addresses linked to social media accounts, phone numbers used for security log-ins, timestamps that reveal the hours a user is awake or working. Taken individually, these fragments may seem trivial, but gathered together and cross-referenced, they can reveal a great deal about who someone really is and what they are doing.
The journalist’s task in OSINT (open-source intelligence) research is to look past the surface of the internet – anonymous profiles, filtered photographs, unverified claims – and identify the real people, motivations, and events behind them. Understanding who is responsible for an influential online account, and why they are saying what they are saying, helps in the work of verification.
When journalists apply these techniques specifically to visual content – smartphone videos, photographs, and satellite imagery – it’s known as VOSIJ, or Visual Open-Source Investigative Journalism.
Through both processes, journalists are building what some describe as an investigative commons – a shared, methodical approach to using public digital evidence to verify information independently and reconstruct major events without necessarily being on the scene.
The Reuters Institute has a continually updated section on the use of OSINT in journalism, which is a fascinating read for anyone interested in learning more about the topic.
Why this matters now
In the past, establishing facts relied largely on shoe-leather reporting. This involved getting out and about, knocking on doors, going to a location, speaking to sources face to face, and getting hold of official documents. Those methods are still important, but technology has introduced changes. And with these changes come new opportunities for fact-finding and fact-checking.
Visual disinformation is one of the most serious threats facing journalism today. This is because people tend to process images emotionally, and instinctively trust what they see. That makes fake visual content particularly dangerous. And the problem is getting worse. Artificial intelligence can now generate photorealistic images and videos – these are called deepfakes – quickly and cheaply, making it harder to distinguish real footage from fake.
At the same time, the tools to combat this are available – and it’s important journalists know how to use them. OSINT techniques give reporters the ability to verify visual content, trace its origins, check for manipulation, and archive evidence before it is deleted or altered.
The journalist’s approach to OSINT
OSINT techniques were originally developed in military and state intelligence contexts. Journalists need to adapt those methods through a professional journalistic lens – with strict ethical standards, clear editorial policies, and disciplined fact-checking workflows. This is not simply about finding data. It is about:
- Verifying what you find. A piece of footage or an image circulating online may be real, manipulated, misidentified, or entirely fabricated. Each needs to be checked rigorously before publication.
- Archiving your evidence. Social media posts, images, and videos can be deleted at any time. Saving verified content securely – in a way that preserves metadata and timestamps – is an important part of the process.
- Navigating safely. Some OSINT work involves engaging with hostile online environments: extremist forums, state-linked disinformation networks, or communities that may become aware of a journalist’s investigation. Digital safety – protecting your identity and your sources – must be part of your practice.
Three possible futures
How newsrooms respond to this challenge will shape the future of journalism’s credibility.
The worst outcome is that newsrooms do nothing. OSINT stays in the hands of a small number of specialists. Most reporters lack the skills to identify fake media. Newsrooms inadvertently publish AI-generated misinformation because no one checked.
A middling outcome is that verification becomes outsourced. Checking visual content becomes so technically demanding or expensive that newsrooms give up trying to do it themselves and pay commercial forensics firms instead. This creates dependency, raises costs, and removes editorial control.
The best outcome is a genuine shift in newsroom culture. Basic OSINT and digital verification skills are treated as foundational – taught to all journalists as routinely as writing, interviewing, or understanding media law. Not every reporter becomes a specialist, but every reporter needs to know what to check, when to be sceptical, and when to ask for expert support.
What this means for us as journalists
If you are just starting off in your career as a journalist, understanding how to use OSINT will put you in a strong position. You don’t need to become a technical expert, but you should understand the principles, know which tools are available, and include verification in your journalism as a matter of course.
The goal is not to replace traditional reporting. It’s to add a layer of rigour that the digital information environment demands. Understanding how to use open-source data is no longer a specialist interest.
In an era of AI-generated content and coordinated disinformation, it is a basic requirement for any journalist who wants to protect the integrity of their work and maintain the trust of their audience.
Free tools for OSINT journalists
Below are some of the free tools currently available for conducting public investigations and digital research:
- OSINT Framework – A comprehensive directory that categorises hundreds of OSINT resources into clear sections for easy navigation. https://osintframe.work
- WhatsMyName.app – A multi-site username enumeration tool that checks for the existence of an identity across hundreds of websites. https://whatsmyname.app
- Epieos– An email and phone intelligence platform that retrieves public Google profile data, reviews, and linked accounts. https://epieos.com
- Shodan – A specialised search engine designed to discover internet-connected devices, exposed servers, and routers. https://www.shodan.io/
- VirusTotal – A security platform that aggregates antivirus scanners to analyse URLs, IP addresses, and files for malicious behaviour. https://www.virustotal.com/
- Censys – An attack surface management tool that maps out global internet hosts, SSL certificates, and network exposures. https://censys.io
- DNSdumpster – A domain research and DNS investigation tool used to discover hosts and map subdomains. https://dnsdumpster.com
- lenso.ai – An advanced reverse image search engine that utilises facial recognition and object matching to locate similar photos online. https://lenso.ai
Resources used for this article
Future Imaginaries of Visual Open Source Investigative Journalism by Ståle Grut (2026) – Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, and Guide to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) by Michael Edison Hayden (2020), published by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia University. Both studies are released under Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 (allowing for distribution and adaptation for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution).
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