Citizen (in)security?: social media,citizen journalism and crisis

response

AuthorsHayley Watson, Rachel L. Finn, Lemi Baruh & Salvatore Scifo

19 May 2014, ISCRAM, USA.

@COSMIC_FP7

http://www.cosmic-project.eu

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

Duration

24 months

Total funding

€1,228,896.00

Number of workshops

4 + final conference

Team

7 Partners from 5 countries

Co-ordinator

European Dynamics (Greece)

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ABOUT COSMIC

COSMIC will deliver a set of instructions, recommendations & best practices for the use of social media in emergency situations.

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SOCIAL MEDIA & CRISIS MANAGEMENT

OPPORTUNITYOPPORTUNITY

CHALLENGECHALLENGE

• Enhance preparedness• Enhance situations awareness• Enhance public engagement & co-operation

• Dispelling rumours• Tackling misuse• Verifying information• Ensuring privacy• Ensuring citizen security

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PHYSICAL DANGER

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…what horrified me most was the extent to which so-called citizen journalists would go to get a shot of the action.

…They put themselves in grave danger, without regard for their safety or the safety of those around them.

…what horrified me most was the extent to which so-called citizen journalists would go to get a shot of the action.

…They put themselves in grave danger, without regard for their safety or the safety of those around them.

HARM

• Physical or social harm– Boston – vigilante justice – mislabeling

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SOCIAL MEDIA & THE SECURITY OF THE CITIZEN

• Political protests - restricted access to SM - - - Internet regarded as a threat.

• Use of SM for surveillance purposes – used to identify, locate & target online dissidents

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CITIZEN JOURNALISM: STANDARDS

• Lack of training and a code of conduct – particularly in journalism standards – e.g., fact checking & source confirmation. Also complicated by a need to make quick decisions about newsworthiness.

• For some CJ - logic = publish then filter• Filter entails some form of control – if too late – misinformation could

already be replicated elsewhere.

• Emphasis placed by some news organisations and communication platforms to promote the notion of harm avoidance…and to work toward better standards and methods for verifying information

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THOUGHTS…

• Could these challenges contribute to a lack of belief in the perceived value of contributions from citizens from some organisations

• Principles of do no harm are central to all of those involved in engaging with social media when responding to a crisis

• Code of conduct for citizen journalists/citizens contributing to sharing information in a crisis– Building of relationships is central. (e.g., citizens and news media)

• Social media strategy that recognises these additional challenges.– Consideration of the type of crisis operating in.

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COSMIC – NEXT STEPS…

Istanbul – International workshop – 4 September 2014Involving Citizens in Emergency Preparedness and Response4

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Guidelines – members of the public, as well as public & private organisations.

LinkedIn: COSMIC Project

THANK YOU

If you have any further questions or would like to be kept up-to-date with the projects findings and events please contact:

•Hayley Watson: hayley.watson@trilateralresearch.com