Bellingcat – Truth in a Post-Truth World (2018), directed by Hans Pool, follows the rise of Bellingcat, the investigative collective founded by Eliot Higgins. The documentary shows how a small group of researchers can investigate events of global importance using material that is often publicly available online: satellite images, social media posts, videos, photographs, databases and geolocation tools. Among the cases featured are the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the war in Syria and the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.

For journalists, the film is above all a lesson in open-source investigation. It shows that reporting no longer begins only with confidential sources, press conferences or leaked documents. A photograph posted online, the shape of a building, a road sign or a shadow can become evidence if it is verified, compared with other sources and placed in the correct geographical and chronological context.

The most useful lesson is methodological: do not simply find information — show how you verified it. Bellingcat’s strength lies in making much of its investigative process visible and reproducible. In an environment saturated with manipulated images, propaganda and false claims, transparency about method becomes part of journalistic credibility itself.

The documentary is therefore particularly useful for reporters interested in OSINT, fact-checking and digital verification. It demonstrates that the web is not merely a place where journalists publish their work. It has also become one of the largest investigative archives ever created.