AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The internet is awash with videos and photos of the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. NPR's Geoff Brumfiel has been looking through the feeds and trying to get a better sense of what's going on. He joins me now to discuss what he's seeing and how to think about videos of the conflict you may see on social media. Good morning.
GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So let's start with what you're seeing out there on the internet. What's stuck with you?
BRUMFIEL: Yeah. I mean, I think, more than anything, it's the volume. Unlike the U.S. and Israel's last operation against Iran, which was focused on nuclear facilities in very remote parts of the country, this is a really broad set of strikes. So we've seen videos from all over Iran, including Tehran, the capital. Satellite imagery has confirmed a major strike on the compound of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has now confirmed he died in that attack.
But there's also been videos of Iranian drone strikes on a U.S. base in Bahrain, of missiles falling over Tel Aviv, of the famous Burj Al Arab in Dubai, which was struck by debris from an intercepted drone. And just this morning, we've had more footage of a missile strike in Israel. A missile struck a town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. That attack appears to have killed several people, according to emergency responders there. So it really does give this ongoing sense of how far-reaching this conflict is.
RASCOE: At the same time, though, we know that it's easier than ever to fake images and videos these days using AI. I'm always looking to confirm what I'm seeing is real. So how can we know if what we see is real?
BRUMFIEL: Yeah. It's getting so much harder. I mean, I think the first thing is to think about where the video came from. In the case of videos from the Middle East, it's often tough to tell who actually filmed it, but you can think about who's showing it to you. Is the account, you know, connected to the region in some ways? Is it a source that you trust?
The second thing I think to think about is, are there multiple videos of the same event from different angles? So for example, that fire at the Burj Al Arab hotel was filmed in a couple of different vantage points, and the details of all those videos lined up pretty well.
Finally, you know, look to see if major media outlets are reporting the event. Reporters like myself are in the business of geolocating videos, checking them with official government sources to see if statements line up. So if you're just seeing it on social media, that can be another hint it might be a fake. But I'll be honest, it's really tricky. I've started seeing fake satellite images that are AI-generated. I mean, that's kind of wild to me.
RASCOE: OK. But it seems like you're saying we shouldn't just assume everything's a fake.
BRUMFIEL: In fact, you know, experts I speak to say that there's actually kind of something really bad that can happen if we assume everything's fake. It's called the liar's dividend. It basically means that those who are seeking to manipulate the narrative get the advantage. It gives more power to them. So yeah. I mean, I think we should approach things critically, but you can't just write everything off as AI.
RASCOE: So if many of these videos are real, what can we learn from them?
BRUMFIEL: I think it's important to remember that these videos are a tiny view into this very big and complex event that's unfolding in real time. They're not going to give the whole picture or even a big part of it. It's also important to remember that you may be seeing a particular video for a particular reason. So for example, Iranian channels were flooding the zone with videos of the strike on the U.S. Naval base, but Central Command - U.S. Central Command said damage was actually fairly limited from that strike. There were no casualties.
Today, we're seeing video of Iranians celebrating the death of the supreme leader on some feeds, and we're seeing them mourning the death in others, and both of those kinds of events are really happening, I'm sure, but it doesn't tell us what's going to happen next in Iran. Depending on who you follow and what their position is, you're likely only getting part of the story, and I think it's really important to remember that.
RASCOE: So what are you going to be looking for in these videos going forward?
BRUMFIEL: I think they provide a really good reality check on what all sides say is happening in the conflict. I also think they can provide real-time information about breaking news events, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them. But it's important to understand that no one video is telling the whole story of this conflict.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Geoff Brumfiel. Thank you so much.
BRUMFIEL: Thank you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
