Following Breaking News on X Responsibly

X is still where a lot of news shows up first: a shaking building, smoke over a highway, a statement from a fire department. It's also where a lot of wrong information shows up first, and the two arrive mixed together. In the first hour of a story, the posts with the most reach are often guesses, old videos or deliberate fakes.

This guide is for reporters, editors, researchers and anyone else who follows a story as it breaks. It covers how we set up a board for it and the habits that keep you from passing on mistakes.

Set up the board before you need it

Breaking news is the worst time to write search queries. If you cover a beat, such as a city, a region, a kind of disaster or an industry, build a board in advance and keep it ready. The breaking news starter in the planner gives you six columns to start from:

First reports catches people describing what's happening: "happening now", "right now", "just now", breaking, with links filtered out so you see first-hand text instead of headlines.

Eyewitness media opens the Media tab with filter:media -filter:replies. This is where photos and video turn up, and where the checking work below matters most.

Officials looks for posts with links that mention police, fire departments, authorities or statements. Add the actual handles of the agencies on your beat with from: once you know them; that's far more reliable than keywords.

Outlets requires a link and at least 50 reposts, which brings up coverage from established news organizations.

Checks and debunks searches for fake, "old photo", "old video", debunked, misleading and correction. Reading this column is often the fastest way to learn which viral post has already been caught out.

People asking collects "does anyone know", "any updates" and "is everyone ok". It shows what the public doesn't know yet, which is useful when you decide what your own coverage should answer first.

Swap in the story's keywords when something happens. For a place, use both the local name and the English one, and consider adding a lang: column for the local language.

Treat every eyewitness post as a lead

A post from someone who says they're there is a lead, not a fact. Before relying on it, look at a few things.

The account. When was it created? What did it post before today? Does it usually post about this place? A brand-new account, or one that posts about a different country every week, deserves more doubt.

The content. Do the details match what's known? Weather, time of day, signs, vehicles, language and accents can all confirm or contradict a claimed location.

The timeline. Is this the earliest copy? Search for the same image or a distinctive phrase and sort by Latest to see who posted it first. The person who posted first is the one to contact.

Contact. If you need to use someone's photo or account, message them, ask what they saw, and ask permission. People in the middle of an emergency may be in danger or in shock. Ask whether they're safe before you ask for rights.

Spot recycled and fake media

Old footage presented as new is one of the most common errors. Video of a past flood, a different city's fire, or a scene from a film gets attached to every big story within minutes.

Take a screenshot or a key frame and run a reverse image search with more than one engine. Look for the earliest date it appears. Check the season: leaves on the trees, snow, clothing. Check text in the image, such as shop signs, license plates and road markings, against the claimed place.

Be careful with images that look too good. AI-generated images and video can now look convincing at a glance. Look for warped text, hands, reflections and odd lighting, but don't rely on that alone; ask where the file came from.

Community Notes sometimes appear under misleading posts, and they're worth reading, but they arrive after the post has spread and don't cover everything.

Following a story and amplifying it are different acts. A repost of an unconfirmed claim spreads it to everyone who follows you, whether or not you add "unconfirmed."

Before you post anything about a breaking story, ask whether you know who said it and how they know. If you can't answer, wait. If waiting isn't possible, write what is confirmed, attribute it, and say plainly what isn't known yet. Update the same thread as facts change. If you got something wrong, say so in a new post, not only by deleting.

Avoid naming victims or suspects before officials or families do. Don't post images that identify injured people, and don't share addresses or license plates. Think about what the people in the footage would want.

Look after yourself

Breaking news columns can fill with graphic images. X lets you hide sensitive media in its settings, and it's worth turning that on if your work doesn't need you to see everything. Take breaks. Newsrooms that handle a lot of eyewitness media rotate people for a reason.

After the first hours

Once a story settles, your columns change job. First reports goes quiet, Outlets and Officials take over, and Checks and debunks becomes a record of what went wrong. Add since: with the day the story began to keep later columns focused, and export the board as JSON if you want to reuse the setup next time. If you cover a recurring kind of event, like storms, elections or big games, a saved board is the best preparation you can do.

Search results on X aren't a complete record, and protected accounts never appear. A board helps you find posts quickly. Deciding what's true still takes the slow work described above.

Power Search is not affiliated with X Corp.

Questions

How can I tell if a photo or video is old?

Run a reverse image search on a screenshot or key frame, look for the earliest copy, and compare details such as weather, signs and season with the place and time claimed. Recycled footage from earlier events is one of the most common errors in breaking news.

Are verified accounts reliable sources?

Not by default. A checkmark on X now mostly means a paid subscription, so it says little about whether an account is a news organization, an official body or an eyewitness. Check who runs the account and what it has posted before.

Is it OK to repost unconfirmed reports if I say they're unconfirmed?

It still spreads them. If you must share something early, share what is known, from whom, and what isn't known yet, and update or delete when it turns out wrong.