How We Source and Verify Urban Photography
Every photograph published on Gazeta.mobi goes through a verification process before it appears. We work with photographers across dozens of cities, and we take seriously the job of making sure the images we run are authentic, properly credited, and contextually accurate.
This isn’t bureaucracy. It’s the only way to build trust with readers who count on us to show them what’s actually happening in cities around the world.
Authentication and Provenance
We start by establishing where an image came from. If a photographer submits work directly, we keep records of submission dates and communication. For images sourced from archives or social media, we trace the original post and verify the account belongs to the photographer or authorized distributor.
We look for signs of manipulation. Obvious edits—compositing, heavy color grading, or content removal—get flagged. Minor adjustments like exposure and contrast are fine. Anything that changes what actually happened in the scene gets disclosed in the caption or rejected outright.
When we can’t verify an image’s origin, we don’t run it. That means sometimes we pass on strong visuals. We’re okay with that.
Location Verification
We confirm where photos were taken. Metadata helps, but it can be spoofed. We cross-reference landmarks, street signs, weather, and shadows against known locations. For breaking news or urgent urban stories, we compare new submissions against satellite imagery and existing published photographs of the same area.
If a photo’s location matters to the story, we verify it. If it’s ambiguous, we say so in the caption.
Credit and Rights
Every photographer gets a byline. We track usage rights and respect whether someone has licensed work exclusively or made it available for editorial use only. When we license images from photo agencies, we honor the terms and include proper attribution.
We don’t republish without permission, and we make sure photographers know how their work will be used before we publish it.