Recapping the Top Five OSINT Videos of 2025 (And What They Mean for 2026)

The OSINT content that spread in 2025 shared one thing in common: a focus on rigorous investigations and carefully designed workflows that produce verifiable evidence. The most compelling videos of the year demonstrated how to turn messy public information into clear, defensible conclusions while navigating uncertainty and ethics.

1) Bendobrown: How to Geolocate War Footage

Bendobrown’s Libya-focused walkthrough is a masterclass in disciplined inference. Instead of relying on one individual tool, it breaks the work into repeatable steps: first, by isolating key visual anchors. Then, comparing road geometry and terrain while validating multiple independent cues. It culminates by locking findings with a clear explanation that someone could hand to someone else and defend. 

What made it resonate is its dramatization of uncertainty without becoming lost in it. The viewer feels the tension of the unknown, then sees how a careful analyst narrows possibilities through simple reasoning. The lesson for 2026 is that OSINT increasingly rewards transparency and process as much as actual answers.

2) David Bombal and Mishaal Khan: A Practical Lesson in Digital Exposure

This video is effective because it frames OSINT as a reality check: public breadcrumbs add up faster than most people realize. Mishaal’s walkthrough shows how analysts can pivot from a small starting point to corroborate entity context by chaining together publicly available sources, emphasizing how everyday data can connect across platforms.

3) The New York Times: Examining the Minutes Before the D.C. Air Disaster

The Times piece is a strong example of modern investigative OSINT moving beyond single-source sleuthing. The work hinges on synchronization: aligning radio communications, flight data, and video into a single timeline so the narrative becomes digestible and compelling. When done well, this approach transforms scattered fragments into a coherent reconstruction in which each element is considered in context.

This style of reporting shows OSINT’s continued shift into mainstream storytelling, where rigor and accessibility coexist.

4) Bellingcat: Who Gets to Live in Rebuilt Mariupol?

Bellingcat’s Mariupol investigation demonstrates the power of analyzing geospatial data as it converges with economic reality and fiscal incentives. OSINT insights reveal that identifiable trends are often inseparable from questions of “who profits” and “who gets access” after a disaster, and those questions can be explored through public records, imagery, and digital traces that reveal patterns over time.

5) CBC News: Worse than Fentanyl

Finally, CBC’s investigation into nitazenes demonstrates that OSINT is an indispensable source for public-interest reporting. The work leans on identifying and verifying online listings across platforms, then combining that open-source information with traditional reporting to explain how a dangerous product can move through an ecosystem that is hiding in plain sight.

The deeper takeaway is that some of the most impactful OSINT outcomes come from blended teams: reporters, analysts, and investigators who can validate digital evidence and then contextualize it responsibly. That hybrid model is becoming a defining feature of the industry.

What This Says About OSINT in 2026

Across these videos, the state of the field looks more professional, more visible, and more accountable. The strongest work is repeatable, clearly explained, and built on corroboration and collaboration. At the same time, as OSINT content reaches broader audiences, creators are being pushed to treat ethics, privacy, and documentation standards as core competencies.