Why it is important for journalists to verify social media posts, an example of researching a sketchy tweet
When it comes to being a journalist in the age of social media, there are various ways to get access to as much information you could possibly want, which can be both a good and bad thing.
When it comes to journalism in 2020, a common phrase that has gained in popularity over the last few years has been “fake news.”
The term generally is used to describe information that can be misleading or flat-out inaccurate that is being presented as a bona fide news story. Another key characteristic of fake news is if the post is intended to damage or hurt the reputation of an individual or organization.
With the rise of social media, fake news posts have been able to spread and gain a large audience more than they ever have in years before.
When it comes to real news reporters in the current world, it is crucial for them to be able to scan social media posts and be able to verify whether or not a story, article, photo or video being shared is accurate or fake.
During the verification process, skeptical editing is essential. When getting information from eyewitnesses or in this case from users on social media. A journalist must be aware to try to confirm the information being shared, not necessarily because the intentions of a user are to deceive, but because people themselves can fall victim to fake news or misinterpret an event themselves.
There are a couple of red flags to spot when trying to verify information, which includes if it is “original content.” If it has been “digitally manipulated” in any way. If the metadata is inaccurate to what the post on social media is claiming, and if the time and place of video cannot be confirmed.
When it comes to verifying content coming from sketchy sources, a good tactic to use is Google’s reverse image search where you can save the image address of any photo online, say for example of a profile picture of a suspicious account, and see if it is a common photo that has been used somewhere else on the internet and not just as a profile picture.
Another key to look for to see if a post might be considered fake news is if it is being presented as a fact, but it is filled with opinionated that point in favor of a certain agenda.
Example of a slanted story
When it comes to a “fake news” post that is aiming to push peoples’ opinions in a certain direction, I found this tweet that aims to make former President Barack Obama and the Democrats appear to be ring leaders of a coup in Nigeria.
The tweet in question reads:
Right off the bat, the tweet gives off red flags with how biased it is against Obama and the Democrats, making an unsubstantiated claim with four different images. It is clear that is presenting a conspiracy theory as fact with no concrete evidence, which is why it is “fake news.”
In particular, I focused on the photo with the BBC News graphic and did a deep dive into it.
Tweet’s unique code
By looking at the unique Twitter code, I was able to identify where else that tweet has been shared, and for the moment, no other users have embedded it in a different outlet.
Metadata
When it comes to the picture’s metadata, I was not able to find any extra information on how the photo was taken other than its dimensions and size.
In a different photo, a picture’s metadata could be used to figure out what type of camera was used to take the photo and what location it was taken. While on social media it is possible for users to tag a location that isn’t true, the metadata can provide a clearer picture.
Timestamp
The timestamp is useful in identifying fake news for when users claim they were at a scene of an event, but the time of their post doesn’t match when the event occurred. In this case, the user is claiming to know about what happened in Nigeria in 2015, when the person’s tweet is in 2020 and just happens to be in response to a post by Hillary Clinton with the #EndSARS, which was a social media movement that gained steam towards the latter end of October to end police brutality in Nigeria.
Digital Footprint
Searching up the digital footprint of a user is key to see if a post is fake as it allows a person to see if there are other accounts on different platforms with the same username, which can be used to research their content on other outlets.
In my search, I only found another outlet where that username was active, it was on a dating website.
As for the photo itself, I was able to find the original BBC post. The article is from February and shares a graphic video.
All together by looking up these four components as well as by finding the original article of the photo, I was unable to find any evidence to support the tweet’s claim, and it is why it is fake news.
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