A screenshot can preserve a real sentence while losing the date, the reply it answered, or the correction underneath. Before reposting, try to recover three things: who published it, when they published it, and what surrounded it. A familiar logo or a crowded comment section does not answer those questions.
Start with the text. Search a distinctive phrase alongside the claimed account or organization's name. Open the original post or announcement when you can find it. Compare the actual username, wording, publication date, and surrounding thread. Check whether the original author later corrected it. For a claimed policy change, visit the organization's own announcement or help page rather than relying on a cropped headline.
Then check the image. On a computer, Google's Search by image button lets you upload a screenshot to Lens. Results can include matching or similar images and pages that use them. Use a public copy where possible, and do not upload private messages, identifying details about children, or other sensitive material just to investigate a claim.
In Google image results, open the image viewer and look for About, then Learn more about an image. Google's About this image information can show when it first encountered that image or a similar one, other pages using it, and earlier appearances. The feature is available only in some regions, and the information offered varies.
Treat those clues carefully. Google's first-seen date is not a certified creation date. A similar image may be from a different event. Image metadata can be altered, and no search result is a blanket authenticity certificate. Compare the earlier page's caption, location, and date with the claim in front of you.
Imagine a screenshot claiming a venue is closed today, but the original notice concerns maintenance last year. The notice can be genuine while the repost is misleading. Share the current primary-source link with a date if it answers the question. If you cannot establish the source or context, leave the claim unshared. If you already reposted it, correct it where that audience can see the update.