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.

 

Nothing beats a checklist

Craig Silverman has pointed it out repeatedly, and now Steve Buttry calls for the use of checklists in order to reduce mistakes, as well. Usually, due to the lack of time, we hesitate to create checklists. Read here why Steve thinks “journalism professors should advocate checklists in teaching basic reporting and journalism ethics.” Where content is king and trust is more important than ever, the 10 to 15 minutes to run your story through a checklist will ensure more accuracy. How important are checklists for you?

Source: Mediashift

 

Should YouTube remove ISIS videos?

At the moment, horrific videos turn up frequently. Whether it shows a beheading or a live burning, most of these videos are really too graphic to look at. Or are they? Here is where an interesting ethical problem unfolds: Should YouTube and Facebook protect their users and take such graphic content offline? Or should we have the right or even the duty to view these videos and only therefore be able to fully understand the true nature of ISIS? Mathew Ingram explains all sides of the story.

Source: Gigaom

 

Viral Weather

Isn’t it great that you can easily check the weather in your destination almost in real-time by all the uploads of images and videos on social networks? Weather images and videos are, in my opinion, a form of UGC the world cannot do without. Not for nothing: that it is the most discussed daily topic world wide. Here is Aaron Mc Nicholas, journalist at Storyful, explaining how the verification work of Storyful helps with making winter videos viral. And of course, whilst digging for the truth, takes care of crediting issues.

Source: Storyful Blog 

 

Leave ‘UGC’ behind and focus on ‘Eyewitness Media’

Sam Dubberley, co-founder of the Eyewitness Media Hub, explains why it is time for newsrooms to move beyond verification of UGC to integration of eyewitness media in their workflows. Whilst doing so they should consider some pressing issues: Taking care of the eyewitness, considering the legal and ethical complexities of crediting and copyright, and taking care of the staff that deals with graphic content.

Source: BBC Academy

 

The legal side of using UGC

In case you have not seen it yet, we have published an article by Aleksandra Kuczerawy in which she investigates the EC’s ‘Notice and Action’ initiative.

Source: Reveal