Ebook
Video as Evidence Field Guide
WITNESS
The free practitioner guide for filming, storing, and verifying eyewitness video so it can serve as evidence, in several languages. Narrow and essential for human rights documentation.
WITNESS compiled its field guide in 2016 and has added sections since: the role of video beyond the courtroom, standards of proof, what counts as evidence, capturing and storing video, collection plans, filming secure scenes, adding essential information, proving responsibility, filming interviews, transferring files, verifying eyewitness video, and ethics. Later field notes cover specific international cases, sexual violence, and environmental defence.
Worth it if
- You or your sources film events that may become evidence
- You verify eyewitness video for human rights or accountability work
- You train documenters in the field
Skip it if
- Your work never involves video evidence
- You want general online research; this is about filming and handling video
What is inside
- 01
Evidence basics
Video beyond the courtroom, the criminal justice process and standards of proof, all about evidence, and the anatomy of a crime.
- 02
Capturing and storing
Basic practices, collection plans, filming secure scenes, adding essential information, proving responsibility, and field interviews.
- 03
Verifying and sharing
Tech tools for transferring files, verifying eyewitness video, and ethical guidelines for using eyewitness video.
- 04
Field notes
Later additions on capturing multiple elements of a crime, sexual violence accountability, and environmental defence.
What you will be able to do
- Film an event so the footage can later be authenticated
- Verify someone else's eyewitness video with a documented process
- Handle and transfer video without breaking its evidentiary value
How current it is
The 2016 compilation is the core; field notes were added through 2023. Section files are hosted on a third-party file service, which is fragile.
- Updated
- 2016 compilation; field notes added through 2023
- Maintained
- Updated now and then
How to get the most from it
- 01
Give the capturing section to the people who film
It is written for them, not for analysts.
- 02
Use the verification section alongside the Berkeley Protocol
The protocol sets the standard; this guide shows the practice for video.
Strengths
- Practical for field conditions
- Multilingual
- Free to adapt
Limitations
- Video only
- Fragile hosting
- Licence stated inconsistently
Pair it with
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which licence applies?
WITNESS says its library resources are free to use and remix, citing both CC BY-NC and CC BY in different places. Assume non-commercial unless you confirm otherwise.
Is it only for lawyers?
No. Most sections are written for people filming in the field.
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