Newsletter #10: Losing the blue tick, Puff Francis and verifying content from Iran
Derek Bowler
Head of Social Newsgathering, EBU | Digital Forensics & OSINT journalist | Author & Trainer
Welcome to Newsgathering. I am?Derek?Bowler, a digital verification journalist and OSINT investigations specialist based in Geneva, Switzerland.
This newsletter aims to highlight the important stories making the headlines in visual verification, fact-checking and best practices over the past seven days and provide a platform for others to share their work in these areas.?
If you have ideas or suggestions or would like to have your work featured in next week's edition, I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to get in touch.
If you find Newsgathering useful, hit the?subscribe button?and share the newsletter with your colleagues (Shares on your social platforms are very much appreciated).
Anyway... on with the show!
#disinformation ???#factchecking ???#osint ???#newsrooms ???#misinformation ??#osintforgood #newsgathering
Losing the blue tick
As announced by Twitter earlier this year, the company began winding down its legacy verification program on April 1. At the of writing, my tick remains, but given the fact I received mine for contributions to journalism and not Elon's wallet, it is safe to say it will be gone shortly.
In an upcoming blog post, I'll explain why I think its time for self and organisational verification of journalists rather than allowing platforms to decide who is and who isn't notable.
A week in fact-checks
Bogus Norm Macdonald Tweet Circulates in Aftermath of Nashville Shooting
Saranac Hale Spencer of FactCheck.org looked into an altered tweet by the late comedian Norm Macdonald to falsely claim that he’d commented on the possibility of a transgender school shooter back in 2016.
Spencer writes: "Even though the account?no longer has a blue verification badge, we know that it was Macdonald’s Twitter account because it had been verified while he was alive, as is shown in the Internet Archives’?Wayback Machine. Also, the account — which has more than a million followers — had been tagged over the years by other major accounts,?including?the?publisher?of Macdonald’s book."
Do Photos Show Biden and Harris Celebrating Trump’s Indictment?
Over at Snopes.com , Damakant Jayshi investigated images purporting to show US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrating in the White House as news broke of former President Trump’s indictment.
"The images were generated using artificial intelligence (AI). They included clear tells. The second photo shows Harris having six fingers. Moreover,?she was on weeklong Africa tour?when the photos were supposedly taken. Given that the pictures were AI-generated and the fact that the vice president was in Africa at the time, we rate the claim "False," Jayshi writes.
Deepfake video of Manhattan DA spreads false claims about Trump case
Sticking with the indictment of Trump, Hannah Hudnall of USA TODAY debunked a video purporting to show Alvin Bragg dropping charges against Donald Trump and resigning.
"Bragg's office is currently investigating a hush-money payment made by Trump to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election. The video of Bragg announcing he's dropping these charges and resigning isn't legitimate, however," Hudnall writes.
Does this photo show Pope Francis wearing an oversized white puffer coat?
While it was fun while it lasted, Anna Mock of Check Your Fact confirmed that Pope Francis' drip was not real.
Mock writes: "The image originates from a?Facebook?account called Guerrero Art. The image was posted by the account to a group called?Midjourney Official. Midjourney is an image-making artificial intelligence (AI) program, according to?MIT Technology Review."
Cow burp musings are a load of bull
Nik Dirga of the Australian Associated Press (AAP) investigated claims made on an Instagram?video?that cows only produce as much methane as would be naturally released into the atmosphere.
"The claim cows only produce as much methane as would be naturally released into the atmosphere anyway is false. Experts told AAP FactCheck the cow’s rumen provides the perfect conditions for production of methane, which is then emitted mostly through burping," Dirga writes.
Video does not show European parliament member using cocaine during meeting
Kaiyah C. of Lead Stories brought us back down to earth after debunking a video claiming to show a European Parliament member sniffing cocaine during a public meeting.
"Does a social media video show a European Parliament member sniffing cocaine during a public meeting? No, that's not true: The man seen in this video is a former German politician who was never a European Parliament member. Also, he is legally using dry snuff tobacco -- not cocaine," Clarke writes
Do transgender athletes "systematically win certain medals"?
At RTBF , Romane Bonnemé and Grégoire Ryckmans looked into Instagram posts suggesting that in the women's categories of sports competitions, transgender athletes monopolise the podiums to the detriment of cisgender athletes.
The pair write: "...there is no sport in which transgender or intersex people would " sweep " all the medals contrary to what some opinion leaders or political groups claim. The assumption that these athletes, with high testosterone levels, would be advantaged, is not scientifically proven. Sports performance is not only assessed through the prism of genetic or sexual differences, but of a set of economic, social or environmental factors. And they also vary from sport to sport. In fact, in certain sporting events, in particular those requiring more strength, transgender athletes may benefit from a certain advantage, even after two years of hormonal treatment."
领英推荐
Posts misrepresent WHO guidance on COVID vaccines for youth
Angelo Fichera of The Associated Press looked into social posts claiming that the World Health Organization now says COVID-19 vaccines are “not recommended” for healthy children and teens.
Fichera writes: "A WHO advisory group released new guidance that suggests countries prioritize continued COVID-19 vaccinations for those most at risk, such as older people and those with underlying health conditions. The group said countries should consider prioritizing vaccines against more threatening diseases for healthy young people, but it did not recommend against COVID-19 shots, which it said are safe and effective."
Tips & Tools
With the impending removal of legacy blue ticks and the increasing difficulty of controlling your timeline, I’ve repurposed the Newsgathering Twitter community to become The Newsroom.
The Newsroom will be a private, collaborative community and discussion forum for news media professionals, fixers, humanitarians and human rights workers to share ideas, tips and contacts.
The group will be a place to find local information from trusted sources on the ground while also acting as a hub for short or long-term opportunities for people in the industry.
importantly, the group will form a truly verified international group of professionals working in several areas of news media, within NGOs and associated professional services.
Recommended reading
Are BuzzFeed's AI-generated travel articles bad in a scary new way —?or a familiar old way?
BuzzFeed has published more than 40 travel guides written with the help of AI, which the publisher claims are an experiment in testing new ways of content contribution.
Laura Owen writes: "You can see all the articles (THAT WE KNOW OF)?here; they're bylined "As Told to Buzzy," a winking bow-tied robot with the bio "Articles written with the help of Buzzy the Robot (aka our Creative AI Assistant) but powered by human ideas." Forty-four of them were published this month. The articles are pretty bad."
The Pope Francis puffer coat was fake – here's a history of real papal?fashion
While all the talk this week was about Pope Francis' AI-generated "drip" (you have swagger, especially in how you look, according to the kids these days), Carol Richardson, Professor of Early Modern Art History, History of Art, The University of Edinburgh, brings us into the rich history of papal fashion.
"As an art historian and an ecclesiastical historian, the image has fascinated me, not least in thinking about the rich history of papal fashion. First of all, it caught my eye because it looks like shot silk (fabric made of silk woven from two or more colours producing an iridescent appearance). Intentionally or not, it's a nice nod to the?fascia, a sash worn by clerics over their cassock," Richardson writes.
For the audiophiles
Reporting on Iran's deadly protests through social media
The latest edition of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) News Podcast sees my colleague Mahsa Aminolahi speak with Emilio San Pedro about her experiences covering the protests in Iran following the death of #MahsaAmini—a must-listen for those interested in ethical and transparent social newsgathering.
Agencia EFE launches the Con Check podcast
Agencia EFE has launched Con Check, a podcast aimed at countering disinformation. The podcast will delve into the most widespread hoaxes and demonstrate how EFE Verifica has debunked them. Listeners will also be encouraged to forward any messages they find suspicious to EFE Verifica's WhatsApp service.
For your calendar
Information Governance & Institutional Trust in Digital Societies
Event by? European Digital Media Observatory , Wed, Apr 26, 2023, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CET
Managing the complex informational flows of digital societies is a key challenge in today's world. The task of content moderation and the fight against potentially harmful disinformation fall to many organisations, public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.
The event will showcase a series of significant case studies worldwide, to be followed by general discussion, with a view to identifying new paradigms of practical solutions for contemporary information governance.
New horizons
Are you looking for new pastures? Here are some of the opportunities that caught my eye this week.
If you have a vacancy and would like it featured in next week's edition, please drop me a DM
See you all next week!