Guides

Written by our editors to help you read news about armed conflict with care: how reports are sourced, how our map is built, how to check images and videos, and what common terms mean. For background on each country, see Countries.

• How to read reports from conflict zones

  A practical guide to reading breaking news about wars and armed conflict: sourcing, dates, places, numbers and common pitfalls.

• How the map works

  From a headline to a point on the map: how reports are collected, matched to places, grouped into events and checked before they are shown.

• Checking images and videos from conflict zones

  Simple steps anyone can use to check whether a photo or video from a war is new, where it was filmed and who first published it.

• Glossary of conflict and humanitarian terms

  Plain-language definitions of terms that appear in news about wars and crises, from ceasefire and IDP to shelling and sanctions.

• Frequently asked questions

  Answers to common questions about Conflict Watch: where the data comes from, why some events are missing, and how to report an error.