After reading and watching this week’s materials, I think it is fair to say that Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is in a lane of its own. I was particularly touched by the Bellingcat documentary and by reading the NPR article about the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab trying to track the movement of Ukrainian children in Russia. Numerous pieces this week mentioned the phrase “citizen journalism.” My research in the past has examined the intersection of media and various far-right groups, which contain members that have described themselves as “citizen journalists.” However, these members tend to be more like street agitators that like to generate conflict rather than a concerned citizen watching out for their neighbors. Therefore, I have not always had the best connotation when hearing about citizen journalism.
OSINT turns this connotation on its head for me. I was amazed to hear that some of the people contributing to Bellingcat were volunteers and not on any type of pay roll. Bellingcat’s model gives me hope for the future of journalism. Not only do I feel that it makes the industry more accessible, because they are utilizing public documents, videos, social media posts, etc and putting a story together, something anyone can do. However I also understand that skills like coding and geolocating are more integral to how they operate, and thus their work is not as simple as going to an event/location and interviewing people. Additionally, I think Bellingcat further proves that a journalism publication does not need to be part of a big media conglomerate, or have the backing and visibility from a legacy media outlet in order to have credibility, and to know their work is making a difference.
The example in the beginning of the Bellingcat documentary where journalists cross-referenced photos and social media accounts to identify white supremacists at the Charlottesville rally immediately made me think of January 6th. In that case, the FBI used similar open-source methods, including videos like the one captured by New Yorker reporter Luke Mogelson, where he followed Trump supporters onto the Senate floor as they stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Authorities also relied on geo-location data to identify individuals who were present during the insurrection. One of those individuals was Princeton’s own Larry Giberson, who, despite his involvement, still graduated with a degree in 2023.
My main concern with OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) is its long-term sustainability. The documentary noted that investigators are able to archive websites and documents before they are taken down, but when does this intelligence run out, and do more harm than good? Can OSINT be effective for day-to-day news coverage or breaking news situations?
Would this open news organizations to greater legal risks if stories are published too quickly, without the thoroughness of longer investigative pieces like those done by Bellingcat? I can understand why Bellingcat takes its time. Even though they can be cross referencing information from multiple photos, social media posts, documents, etc, they’re also relying on digital sources from the open internet, not from close, vetted sources.
