Ordinary people often hold the only record of what happened somewhere. That record is worth something — and it is worth nothing if obtaining it gets somebody hurt.
Safety first, and it is not a formality. Do not enter a dangerous area, approach anything suspicious, or stay somewhere exposed to take a photograph. No record is worth a casualty, and that includes yours.
If it is safe to document, the things that make a record useful later are ordinary.
- Keep the original file. Not a copy sent through a messaging app, which strips the information stored inside it. Move originals off the phone unaltered.
- Note the date, the time and the place separately in writing, because you will not remember and the file may not say.
- Photograph the wider scene as well as the detail, so the place can be recognised.
- Do not stage anything, and do not edit. An altered record is worse than no record: it discredits everything beside it.
Think before publishing. Live information about where people are sheltering, where defences are, or who is present can put those people in danger. When in doubt, give it to the authorities or a recognised humanitarian organisation rather than posting it.
Protect the people in it. Faces, addresses and vehicle plates can identify somebody to people you did not intend.
This is an introduction. The association's members' library covers documentation, verification and the handling of evidence in proper depth.