Free mini-course: five short steps in your browser
Verify a viral news clip in 5 stepsthe claim and source, a pause, the outlet and original, clues, and a dated record
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. A five-step routine for a viral clip dressed as a news report (logo, banner, ticker or presenter) that may be AI-generated, edited, mislabelled or from somewhere else. Progress stays in this browser.
No checker on this page can reliably tell a real clip from an AI-generated one. A TimeBind does not show that a clip is real or not AI-generated. The steps are a routine, not a verdict on any one clip.
Start the five steps
Each step is short and ends with one or two checks. Your progress is saved in this browser only. Nothing you choose is sent to TimeBinder. The course uses no real person’s footage or real outlet’s branding, only own-made diagrams.
Your progress is saved in this browser only. Choices stay on this device and are not sent to TimeBinder or tied to your name.
Step 1 of 5. 0 of 5 complete.
Step 1. Name the claim, the clip and the source
A clip that looks like a news report still arrives with a claim: this happened here, today. Before you judge how it looks, write the claim in one line (what event, which place, which date, which outlet it appears to come from) and note the source: who posted it first that you can find, and on which account. Logos, a ticker, a lower-third and a confident presenter are packaging, and packaging can be copied, edited or generated. A genuine report can also be rough, cropped or re-recorded from a screen. Keep the footage, the claim and the source apart.
Check 1. Match each part to what it means
Tap a part, then tap the meaning that fits it best.
Check 2. A clip with a news logo and a banner is spreading fast
What is the best first move?
Step 2. Pause: news-style packaging is not proof
Branding is cheap to copy. A logo in the corner, a breaking-news banner, a scrolling ticker or a studio set can be added to any footage, and tools can generate presenters and voices. Equally, real reports are sometimes low quality. Oddities such as mismatched lip movements, text that changes between frames or a banner that does not fit the outlet’s usual style are clues worth noting, not proof either way. Urgent framing is a clue of its own: “share before it is deleted”, “the media will not show this”. The cheapest protection is to stop, not share it as fact, and move to Step 3.
Check 1. Which statement is the honest one?
Check 2. The banner text in the clip looks slightly off
What does that tell you?
Step 3. Check the outlet itself, then find the original and other evidence
If the clip carries an outlet’s name, go to that outlet’s own website or official channel by typing the address yourself, not through the link in the post, and see whether the report is there. Look at the earliest upload you can find and whether a named reporter or camera operator is credited. Then check whether the event is confirmed elsewhere: other footage from other angles, reports from outlets you trust, official channels. If you cannot find it anywhere except the viral post, say so and treat it as unconfirmed. A genuine clip from an older event, or from another place, is a sound reason not to share it as current. If real people appear in it, think before passing it on.
Check 1. Which of these are sound verification moves?
Tick all that apply.
Check 2. The outlet named in the clip has no such report on its own site
What does that suggest?
Step 4. Clues and context: labels, credentials, wording and the scene
Look at what the platform shows: some add labels, and Content Credentials (C2PA) data may be present if the tools used added it and it has not been stripped. A credential can say how a file was made or edited, but it cannot say whether the events shown are true, and most clips carry none. Then check the content against known facts: do the date, place, names and spelling on screen fit the claim and the outlet’s usual style? Does the audio match the picture? These are clues. File details can be edited or lost, and online “AI video detector” scores are not a verdict in either direction. No tool on this site can reliably tell a real clip from an AI-generated one.
Check 1. The clip has no Content Credentials data
Check 2. What carries the most weight about a news-style clip?
Step 5. Decide, label, and keep a dated record
Honest outcomes include “confirmed by the outlet and independent sources”, “could not be confirmed, so I did not share it as fact”, and “this looks fabricated or misleading, reported”. If you share it at all, say plainly what is and is not confirmed, and use the platform’s report tools for content that looks deceptive or impersonates an outlet. If you filmed a real clip and may need to show it later, keep the original file (not only a re-saved or screen-recorded copy), together with notes of when, where and what else you recorded. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time, and that a later copy still matches its SHA-256 fingerprint, anchored to Bitcoin. It does not show that a clip is real, who made it, that it is not AI-generated, or that the events happened as described. First Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Check 1. What can a TimeBind show about a clip file?
Check 2. You could not confirm the news-style clip. What now?
You have finished all five steps
Progress stays in this browser. You can revisit any step above. If you filmed a real clip you may need to show later, date the exact original file.
How do you verify a viral news clip that might be fake? The short answer
Work through five steps: write down the claim (what event, where, when, which outlet) and who posted the clip first; pause, because news-style packaging is not proof; open the outlet’s own website or channel yourself, trace the earliest upload, and look for other footage or reports of the same event from independent sources; weigh labels, Content Credentials and on-screen details as clues only; then decide honestly, say what is unconfirmed, and keep your notes. If you filmed a real clip yourself, keep the original file.
None of this tells you for certain whether a clip is AI-generated, and an online detector score is a clue at most. A TimeBind of an exact file can show that it existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show that the clip is real, who made it, or that the events happened as described.
Why this course, in November 2026
Search suggestions checked on 13 November 2026 return full sets for “how to tell if a news video is fake”, including “how to check if a video is fake news” and “how to check if video is real”, and for “ai generated news anchor”. Suggestion lists show what people type, not how many type it, and we have not measured volumes beyond that. None of this says that a clip can be settled by looking at it.
This is the sixth course in the series. The first, Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessons, is a general introduction. The second, Verify a viral video in 5 steps, is a workflow for any single clip. The third, Check a suspicious voice message in 5 steps, covers voice messages and calls. The fourth, Verify a screenshot or fake document in 5 steps, covers screenshots and documents. The fifth, Verify an AI-generated photo of an event in 5 steps, covers event photos. This one covers clips dressed as news reports, where the extra step is checking the outlet named in the clip. A seventh course, Verify a leaked-looking chat or email screenshot in 5 steps, covers leaked-looking chat and email screenshots. An eighth course, Verify a fake product review or testimonial in 5 steps, covers product reviews and testimonials. A ninth course, Verify an AI-generated receipt or invoice in 5 steps, covers AI-generated receipts and invoices, and a tenth, Check a suspicious profile photo or dating profile in 5 steps, covers suspicious profile photos and dating profiles. An eleventh course, Verify an AI-edited rental or property listing photo in 5 steps, covers rental and property listing photos, and a twelfth, Check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad in 5 steps, covers celebrity and expert video ads. A thirteenth course, Check a photo, video or audio file offered as evidence in 5 steps, covers photo, video or audio files offered as evidence, and a fourteenth, Check a suspicious video call or remote job interview in 5 steps, covers suspicious video calls and remote job interviews. A fifteenth, Check a suspicious website or login page in 5 steps, covers suspicious websites and login pages, and a sixteenth, Check a map or satellite image that may be AI-made or edited in 5 steps, covers maps and satellite images that may be AI-made or edited. All sixteen sit under the public guide to protecting yourself from AI forgeries.
What each step can show, and what it cannot
The honest job of this routine is to slow a snap judgement and leave you with notes you can show. See also synthetic media and existed no later than in the glossary.
| Step | What it can show | What it cannot show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Claim and source | What event the clip is said to report, which outlet it appears to come from, and who posted it first that you can find. | That the clip is genuine. |
| 2. Pause | Whether urgency or “the media will not show this” framing is part of the pattern. | Whether a clip was generated. Polish proves nothing, and neither does roughness. |
| 3. Outlet and original | Whether the named outlet’s own site or channel carries the report, whether the clip appeared earlier, and whether other sources confirm the event. | That a clip is real because other footage exists, or fake because none was found. |
| 4. Clues and context | What a label, C2PA / Content Credentials data (if still present) or a check of on-screen dates, names and wording suggest. | Truth or authorship. Missing or changed details settle nothing, and a detector score is not a verdict. |
| 5. Decide and keep | What you checked and found, and that an exact saved file existed no later than a recorded time, with a later copy still matching its SHA-256 fingerprint. | That the clip is real or not AI-generated, who made it, or that the events happened as described. |
If you filmed a real clip and may need to show it later
If you record an event and may later need to show that your footage is yours and was not generated or altered, a dated record of the original file helps:
- Keep the original file from the camera or phone, not only a re-saved, trimmed or screen-recorded copy, with your notes on when, where and what else you recorded.
- Make a TimeBind of that file. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the file, the certificate and your notes together. Use the file date and metadata inspector or the file-changed answer to compare a copy later.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15. A TimeBind does not show that a clip is real or not AI-generated.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Verify a news clip: FAQ
Can this course tell me whether a news clip is real or AI-generated?
No. No checker on this page, and no tool on this site, can reliably tell a real clip from an AI-generated or edited one. The steps help you check the claim, check the outlet’s own channels, trace the origin and look for independent evidence that the event happened. “Could not confirm, so I did not share it as fact” is a valid result.
Can I spot a fake news clip by looking at the logo, banner or presenter?
Not reliably. A news-style logo, banner or presenter can be copied or generated, and real reports can look rough. Odd text or mismatched audio are clues worth noting, not proof. Verify with something other than how the clip looks, such as the outlet’s own site, the earliest post and other evidence of the event.
Does a missing Content Credentials label mean a clip is fake?
No. Most genuine clips carry no Content Credentials, and the data can be lost when a file is shared or re-encoded. Where present, credentials describe how a file was made or edited, not whether the events are true.
Does a TimeBind show that a clip is real or not AI-generated?
No. A TimeBind shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a later copy still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, that it is real, that it is not AI-generated, or that the events happened as described.
Should I share a news clip I cannot confirm?
Better not as fact. If you do mention it, say plainly what is and is not confirmed, and use the platform’s report tools for content that looks deceptive. Where real people appear in it, or it uses an outlet’s name, think before passing it on.
Where is my progress saved?
In this browser only, using localStorage. Choices are not sent to TimeBinder and are not tied to your name. Clearing site data, or using another browser, starts the steps again.
Is the course free?
Yes. The five steps and the checks run in your browser at no charge. If you later make a TimeBind, the first Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Related guides and tools
- Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessonsThe first mini-course: labels, reverse image search, voice scams and more
- Verify a viral video in 5 stepsThe second mini-course: a workflow for a single clip
- Check a suspicious voice message in 5 stepsThe third mini-course: voice messages and calls
- Verify a screenshot or fake document in 5 stepsThe fourth mini-course: screenshots and documents
- Verify an AI-generated photo of an event in 5 stepsThe fifth mini-course: photos of events
- How to spot a deepfake videoWhat can and cannot be told from a video
- Real or AI? quizPractise on own-made and public-domain images
- Content Credentials checkerWhat a C2PA manifest can and cannot show
Date the exact files you keep
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file, kept while you still have it.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.
Related glossary entries: keyframe and image-to-video model.