by Larry Magid
This post first appeared in the Mercury News
Regardless of how you feel about the conflict, I think we can all agree that all wars, including the one currently underway in Iran, are tragic. Although misinformation isn’t nearly as horrific as the loss of human life, it’s nevertheless harmful. It can inflame tensions, be used as propaganda and erode trust in legitimate news. In some cases, it can put people in danger if it causes them to make and act on dangerous decisions.
Tradition of careful war reporting
Historically, Americans relied on war correspondents for accurate reporting. During World War II, Walter Cronkite helped Americans understand what was happening on the battlefields of Europe while reporting for United Press. He later continued that tradition with his coverage of the war in Vietnam for CBS News. I thought about him when I joined CBS News Radio in 1999. I was a far cry from a war correspondent, reporting on tech safety from my home studio in California, but I was inspired by the legacy of careful, accurate journalism that reporters like Cronkite represented.
We still have many journalists who strive to report the news honestly and accurately, including those who are currently covering the war in Iran. But we are also seeing a great deal of misinformation from people, organizations and even nation-states who seek to deceive us, whether for political or economic reasons, or sometimes out of a misguided sense of humor.
Unlike wars in the 20th century, when most Americans got their news from ABC, CBS, NBC, and Mutual Broadcasting, a handful of local TV channels, one or two local newspapers, and a small number of credible magazines, we now live in a world where anyone with an internet connection can publish what they claim is news.
Photo editing and generative AI
Although it has always been possible to lie with words, technology has increasingly made it possible to deceive people’s eyes and ears. For more than three decades, tools such as Photoshop have enabled experts to manipulate photographs. But now, thanks to generative AI, it’s possible to create not only convincing still images but also realistic video and audio, often without any special expertise.
We’ve already seen examples of this. Some widely shared videos supposedly showing attacks in the region have actually turned out to be footage from previous conflicts. In other cases, clips from video games have circulated online claiming to show real combat in the current war.
The Associated Press reported on one widely shared example of what appeared to be an Iranian attack that struck a skyscraper. Although buildings in Bahrain have in fact been hit by Iranian missiles during the war, the video circulating online wasn’t real. According to the report, it had been generated with artificial intelligence and shared by accounts associated with the Iranian government as part of an effort to amplify its apparent successes. Careful observers noted clues that the video was fake, “including two cars on the left side of the clip that appear stuck together and a man in the bottom-right corner whose elbow seems to move straight through a backpack.” according to the AP.
There were also widely circulated videos showing a fake missile strike on the USS Abraham Lincoln. But, as PolitiFact pointed out, “These videos don’t show missile strikes on the USS Abraham Lincoln. One shows ship details that are inconsistent with authentic images, and the other was first posted online in 2025 during the 12-Day War between Iran and Israel.”
It’s common for AI generated images and videos to have clues, but that is not always the case. I’ve seen some and have even created some myself, that look very real. Still, if you see visual inconsistencies, unnatural movements or other apparent distortions, that’s a good reason to be very suspicious.
Regardless of how realistic the video, image or written report may be, here are some other tools you can use to help determine if something might be fake:
- Check the source to determine if it’s coming from a reputable news organization or an unknown website or social media account.
- Look for confirmation from known sources. If it’s a major event, it is almost certainly going to be reported by credible news outlets.
- Verify with fact-checking organizations such as AP Fact Check, PolitiFact, Snopes, Reuters Fact Check, FactCheck.org, and BBC Verify. These websites regularly verify or debunk commonly reported stories, including ones circulating online. If you are on a computer and wish to verify textual reports, one easy way is to hover over some text, right click and select “search the web.”
Shocking images and videos get attention but can be misleading. Real footage from war zones can also be shocking, but fabricated or manipulated images are often created specifically to provoke outrage, mislead viewers or spread propaganda.
Cautiously use AI to help verify information. Services such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude can be good starting points. Although generative AI can make mistakes, it can still be useful for checking claims. You can ask about the accuracy of a story, and it may provide context or point you toward sources that help you determine whether it’s true. However, never rely solely on AI. Ask for its sources and then check those sources yourself.
Verify before sharing
One of the worst things you can do is pass along false information and attach your name to it. You may never be 100% certain that something is accurate, but you can take reasonable steps to make sure it’s likely to be true before sharing it. Sharing false information not only does a disservice to those who see it, but it also affects your credibility
Let’s hope this war is short-lived with minimal loss of life. But let’s also hope that we understand what is actually happening and base our opinions on facts, not fake information and rumors. As former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at [email protected].