Every week, we provide interesting links from around the web that discuss issues regarding the verification processes of content from social media. Here is our list for this week.

 

 

When Truth or Hoaxes Go Viral…

Here is an interesting, although slightly older (Dec 2013) article from the New York Times that portrays what can happen when information goes viral in Social Networks, and how accuracy sometimes is left behind for the sake of “making news”.

Source: New York Times

 

Social Journalism Study 2013

If you have a bit more time at hand, here is a study (totalling 30 pages) by Cision & Canterbury Christ Church University (UK) that investigates and portrays how UK journalists use Social Media generally. The study’s aim is to understand how journalists use social media for work and in their communication with PR professionals.

Source: Social Journalism Study 2013

 

Ethics for Social Newsgathering

The Online News Association recently (March 2014) identified and published five – in their words “key” – ethical challenges of social and digital newsgathering. These are centred around the following domains, according to the ONA:

• Verification and accuracy
• Contributor’s safety
• Rights and legal issues
• Social journalist’s well-being
• Workflow and resources.

The ONA social newsgathering working group was founded by Eric Carvin and Fergus Bell, social media editors at The Associated Press. Eric Carvin also chairs ONA’s News Ethics Committee.

Source: Online News Association

 

Ten Principles that Power Social Journalism, according to Mark Little

Somehow it seems like we cannot do without Storyful … Must be because they are doing interesting stuff, and the focus of their work and service is centred around Social Media verification. Not surpringly, they talk and write about it, too. This was the case again in mid-March 2014 when Mark Little, Storyful’s CEO, published what he calls ‘ten principles that power social journalism‘. Definitely worth checking out. Not only because they serve as a guide for Storyful –  a company deeply involved in the verification business.

Source: Storyful Blog