Topics3 items
Verification
Items filed under this tag, newest first, across issues.
Issue 02
Satellite images of tree felling at East Potomac Golf Links
Bellingcat compares Planet Labs imagery of East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, DC, from 8 and 13 October. The later scene shows large cleared sections after reports that 430 trees were cut down over the weekend of 10 October. That felling prompted an emergency court hearing on 12 October, which barred further changes until later in the month.
Why it matters
The 8 October and 13 October scenes show the cleared ground after the weekend felling.
Issue 01
OSINT workshop, Den Haag
Free workshop on Thursday 15 October, 14:00–17:00, in Lab B on the third floor of the Centrale Bibliotheek in The Hague. Journalists from Het Reizend Huis voor de Journalistiek show how open sources are used to test whether footage is genuine, synthetic, or from a different event. Open to the public, not only to journalists.
Why it matters
A free public workshop on telling genuine footage from synthetic or recycled footage.
15 Oct 2026 · 14:00–17:00 · Den Haag
Viral Google Maps images of Gaza were not the newest view
Posts treated a Google Maps refresh as new satellite imagery of destruction in Gaza, including Rafah. Google told Bellingcat the Airbus scenes had been online since June and were captured in February 2026. Planet Labs imagery from September shows demolitions that continued after that date, in Rafah, Bani Suheila, Shujaiya, and Jabaliya. For dating a basemap, the capture date is the one that counts.
Why it matters
Google told Bellingcat the Airbus scenes had been online since June and were captured in February 2026. The capture date is the one that counts.