“Virality Alert”: The Construction, Imagination, and Algorithmic Falsification of a Local Disaster

This paper investigates the strategies employed by local journalists to verify AI-generated and manipulated imagery during the 2026 Romagna earthquake. Drawing on a qualitative methodology, this study identifies a multi-layered process of “situated verification.” The findings reveal that verification efficacy is predicated on territorial familiarity, professional networks, and direct institutional triangulation, which collectively compensate for technological and resource constraints. Local journalists emerge as epistemic mediators who stabilize the information ecosystem, mitigate public anxiety, and curb the spread of disinformation. Furthermore, institutional interventions, such as police-led fact-checking, function as both pragmatic verification tools and symbolic signals that promote responsible information sharing. By highlighting how verification is deeply rooted in temporality, social embeddedness, and local expertise, this research underscores the critical role of proximity journalism in crisis communication. The study contributes to the fields of visual epistemology and media literacy, demonstrating that relational and context-aware practices are essential for maintaining information integrity in an era of AI-driven visual disinformation.