Here, we provide interesting links from around the web related to 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? Here’s today’s list.

Fact-checking on air

CNN correspondent Brian Stelter has addressed an issue that is more relevant than ever: fact-checking politicians while interviewing them live. In this interesting article, Poynter reporter Alexios Mantzarlis stresses the importance on challenging politicians while they are making claims on TV. He highlights three important things to remember:

• a fact-check should frame a claim as being false clearly and succinctly, if this is the case,
• fact-checking on TV should use images and graphs,
• fact-checks should provide alternative explanations.

Mantzarlis already published an article on live fact-checking earlier in 2016 and published eight simple rules to follow in this context.

Source: Poynter

Falsehoods circulate on social media

Craig Silverman published an article on how false rumours actually circulate very fast in social networks. Based on two different studies, Silverman points out that “they both provide evidence that falsehoods spread for hours and take hold online before being debunked.” Why is that so, you might ask? Well, it takes time to debunk false claims. “[…] true rumors are resolved much faster on Twitter than false rumors.” One study even suggests that it takes “… 13 hours between the publication of a false report and the subsequent publication of a debunking.” Silverman’s article basically undermines how important it is for journalists to find better and faster ways to verify content online.

Source: FirstDraftNews

A map of verified events in conflict zones

This map is an open data-driven media platform on which users can explore geo-based messages, pictures and videos from various conflict zones.

Source: LiveUMap

Collection of verifiction sources

Here you can find a great selection of “verification tools, guidelines and other resources aimed at those curating online video.”

Source: lab.witness.org