verifying facts for pr | if your mother says she loves, check it out

Social Media and Digital Communication Certificate

Verifying user generated content in a crisis Sifting fact from fiction

Stuart Bruce FCIPR

@stuartbruce

Why verification mattersYou need to verify the user generated content that youre monitoring in order to make informed decisions:OperationalCommunicationsYour own information needs to be verifiable as reputable media will verify it

@stuartbruce www.stuartbruce.biz www.stuartbruce.eu

Explosion at Columbia Chemicals


Columbian Chemicals explosion


ISIS claims responsibility for attack


None of it was trueTwo hours later Columbian Chemicals issued news release saying it was falseNew York Times claims it was:highly coordinated disinformation campaign, involving dozens of fake accounts that posted hundreds of tweetsAccuses the Internet Research Agency in St PetersburgRead the full account at sbpr.co/1NYKpeE


Sifting fact from rumourIn a crisis social networks are overloaded with situational updates. Some updates are vital facts, others rumours.


Why it might not be trueOrganised groups have the power to spread disinformationPeople lie maliciouslyPeople innocently pass on misinformationFear breeds rumoursMight not have the full picturePeople forget and exaggerate memoriesDont understand or cant place in contextAuthority figures who should know, might not


Good journalists know thatIf your mother says she loves you, check it out.


Get the full picture


Most important part isBCBeforeCrisis


Before the crisisHave a plan but make sure it is current and has been robustly testedHave a suitable social presence and digital media platformIdentify potential influencers, allies and detractors in advanceEstablish reputation and trustPrepare you war roomUnderstand new search and research methods and new tools


Verify everythingAssociated Press has always strived to find the original sourcesFergus Bell, AP

Always ask how do you know?And remember the five WsWho, What, Where, When, Why


Check the provenanceConfirm the sourceConfirm the dateConfirm the location

Its a process. Clues from one tool, lead you to another tool.


Confirming the sourceCan you find them on other social networks?Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, SwarmHow active are they and what is their history of usage?Does their account biography link to anywhere else?Is it a real profile picture?Who are their followers, contacts and friends?Who do they interact with?Are they on any lists?On personal profiles fakers Photoshop a blue verification check mark to the cover photo to make it appear legitimateTIP: Hover cursor over it to see Verified Page pop-upCan you find real world contact information?TIP: Spokeo, WebMii, Pipl


Confirming the dateUse Wolfgram Alpha to cross-reference weather on a specific dateYouTube date stamps videos using Pacific Standard TimeTIP: Use Amnesty Internationals YouTube DataViewer to find upload and thumbnail creation timesEXIF metadata dimensions of original image, make and model of camera, timestamp (manufacturers settings or wrong time zone)TIP: Foroforensics.com or Findexif.com


Verifying images and videosReverse image searchesVisual clues:Weather conditionsLandmarks, shops and buildingsSignage, lettering and license plates on vehiclesClothingShadowsGPS dataHistorical images from Google EarthAsk source for additional images


Reverse image searchesGoogle Images or TinEyeSearch by uploaded image or image URL


Wikimapia crowdsourced map descriptions


Echosec location based searchReal-time resultsTwitter, Instagram, Flickr, Sina Weibo and moreUsed by blue light emergency servicesGeofeedia is alternative


And rememberAll digital media is easily duplicated, altered and distributed


Additional resources


Any questions?Blog www.stuartbruce.bizCompany www.stuartbruce.eu

Twitter @stuartbruceFlipboard Future of PR sbpr.co/sbprnews


verifying facts for pr | if your mother says she loves, check it out

Leadership & Management