@CraigSilverman

Adjunct Faculty, Poynter | Fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism |

Founder of Emergent.info

Creating & Curating Trusted

Content

Three Crash Courses

1.Creating credible content

2.Verifying digital content.

3.Quashing rumors.

Trust & Connection

1. Hallmarks of Credible

Content

Images: The Noun Project

Hallmarks: Human

• In voice and tone.

• Use simple language.

• Easy on the SEO and keywords.

• Attach it to a person.

• Speaking, not reciting.

Psyche designed by Julian Claus from the Noun Project

Robot designed by Niels Gesquiere from the Noun Project

Hallmarks: Provenance

• Who/what is it from?

• Show your work: links,

sourcing.

Hallmarks: Accountability

• Feedback loop.

• No scrubbing: changes

are noted, corrections

are added and errors

are acknowledged.

• Comments are

responded to.

Correction: An earlier version of this article

claimed that journalists at Bloomberg

Businessweek could be disciplined for

sipping a spritzer at work. This is not true.

Sorry. We must have been drunk on the job.

Hallmarks: Polished

• No typos.

• Proper formatting.

• No broken links.

• Images load properly.

• Embedded content works.

Okay designed by Milky - Digital innovation from the Noun Project

2. Verification

Principles of Verification

• Identify the original source.

• Confirm date and time.

• Confirm content of the information.

• Research similar events, content.

• Seek additional sources. “How do you know that?”

• Triangulate all collected information.

• Communicate and collaborate.

Verifying Social Media

Evaluate the Account &

Person•Check when account was created

•Be suspicious of brand-new accounts

•Analyze the network

•Friends, followers, conversations, retweets

•What do they usually tweet/post about?

•Where do they say they are?

•Evaluate tweets/posts before and after

Check Outside Social Media

•See if you can find other accounts

online with the info you have.

•Use Spokeo, Pipl, WebMii for searching

the name.

•DM them, get on the phone, Skype

Check the Content

•Get details and additional

corroboration from people, images,

etc.

•Are others reporting this incident or

event?

•If so, what sourcing are they using?

Verifying Photos &

Video

Shell hoax

Verifying Photos & Video

•Check exif info: regex.info/exif.cgi

•Check history of photo with reverse image search:

TinEye, Google Images

Verifying Photos & Video

•Reference locations against maps and

existing images from the area

• Check: Clothes, buildings, language,

license plates, vehicles, etc.

•Examine weather reports, shadows to

confirm conditions shown fit date and

time

Verifying Photos & Video

•Review the uploader’s history/location

•Are there images before and after you can

compare to?

•Get the uploader on the phone or Skype to

talk about the image

•Beware of the amazing shot in a breaking

news situation, or directed at you: People

want to troll brands.

Debunker Toolkit• VerificationHandbook.

com

• Skype/Phone

• Reverse image

search

• EXIF reader

• Google Maps/Earth

• Who.is

• Spokeo,

Pipl.com,WebMii.com

• Twitter Advanced

Search

• YouTube Data Viewer

• gramfeed.com

Links: https://bitly.com/bundles/silverman/3

3. Refuting Rumors

P&G Rumor• Started in 1980s

• 15,000 phone calls a

month to the company.

• Reaction: Truth Kits sent

out to churches, engaged a

media relations campaign,

sued.

“[W]e are fundamentally social beings and

we possess an irrepressible instinct to

make sense of the world. Put these ideas

together and we get shared sensemaking:

We make sense of life together. Rumor is

perhaps the quintessential shared

sensemaking activity.”

— Nicholas DiFonzo, author of “The Watercooler Effect: A

Psychologist Explores the Extraordinary Power of

Rumors.”

Rumors emerge

in situations of

uncertainty, fear,

or lack of

information.

Lake Monster Attack designed by Luis Prado from the Noun Project

“The most common

recommendation for reducing

rumours is to reduce

uncertainty. This goal can be

achieved by providing

accurate and timely

information and having open

channels of communication.”

— Rumor Psychology

Managing Rumors

• Lay the groundwork: regular,

credible communication.

• Move quickly.

• Be definitive, be positive.

• Offer an alternate narrative.

• Find a trusted source: Truth

Kits.

• Use humor when appropriate.

Whisper designed by chris dawson from the Noun Project

Remember• Credible content is all checkmarks and no flags.

• Be accountable for what you publish, give credit where it’s due,

and be responsive to feedback.

• Verification requires you to check the source and the content.

• Don’t rush to be wrong. Communicate and collaborate.

• Rumors emerge in contexts of uncertainty. Ongoing, credible

communication lays the groundwork to respond.

• Be fast, be clear, use third parties when you can.

Build trust and create connection through your content.