Here, we provide interesting links from around the web that discuss issues regarding the verification of content from social media: what tools, services and initiatives are there? Who is doing what? What’s the state of affairs regarding eyewitness media and related issues? Here is our list for this week.

2016 – the year of fact-checking

Alexios Mantzarlis has written an interesting forecast on the potentials he sees for fact-checkers in 2016. “The coming year could be a big one for the impact, funding and technology of fact-checking globally,” states Alexios Mantzarlis, promising to return to the list of his predictions at the end of next year to see what has become a reality and what he may have left out. Some of the highlights of this post include:

• fact-checkers will automate parts of their work in 2016
• fact-checkers will seek to cultivate revenue streams in the form of paid services
• fact-checkers will dedicate greater attention to the media, especially in a time of crisis

Source: Poynter

Fighting misinformation on social media

This article provides a helpful overview of all the debunking activities initiated by French journalists, like Julien Pain, editor in chief of France 24’s Observers or Samuel Laurent, editor of Le Monde’s Decodeurs channel for debunks, fact checks, explainers and data journalism. They underline that especially after the Charlie Hebdo attacks and numerous fake pictures which were spread via social media during that time, the urgent need for fact-checking became increasingly apparent. Now, “French media are taking the debunks to the hoaxers where they are, meeting them head to head on social networks.”

Source: First Draft News

Fact-checkers around the globe

The list of news organization actively verifying “what politicians tell their constituents around the globe” is growing. Shaker Samman, student researcher in the Duke Reporters’ Lab, has updated the international database by including fact-checkers from, among others, Brazil, Morocco, Spain and Nepal. It is certainly worth a read as it demonstrates the endeavors of a global journalism movement.

Source: Reporters’ Lab