Presentation at 2013 Broadcast Education Association annual conference in Las Vegas.

1. Anthony Adornato
@AnthonyAdornato
Syracuse University
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2. When cobras and puppies tweet…how
do you know what to believe?
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3.  Instructor selects photos (both real and fake) that
circulated on social media before being reported by
news outlets.
 Each group assigned one photo with background info
and discusses how they would verify/determine
accuracy of the photo and information. Report back to
class.
 Groups go online to find out the “real deal.” If fake, did
news outlets get duped? Did they issue a correction?
Report back to class.
 Collectively the groups create a master list of tips for
verifying social media info. Instructor shares his/her
best practices.
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4. Group Exercise #1 PAUL MCCARTNEY HANGS
OUT AT LOCAL TRUCKING
COMPANY
Mike Sims posted this photo
on the Facebook page of
WSTM-TV (Syracuse). Sims
claimed Paul McCartney (yes,
Sir McCartney, of Beatles
fame!) stopped by NEMF
Trucking in East Syracuse.
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5. Group Exercise #2 SHARK SPOTTED SWIMMING IN
FLOODED STREETS
Holy moly! You see this tweet
that includes a photo of a shark
supposedly swimming along a
Puerto Rico street flooded by
Hurricane Irene. This tweet
came from the account of a
woman with the name of
‘Salma Khan.’
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6. Group Exercise #3 ANN ROMNEY’S PLANE
MAKES EMERGENCY
LANDING
You see tweets about Ann
Romney’s plane making an
emergency landing in
Colorado. Many of the tweets
include this photo of
firefighters entering an
airplane. The original tweet,
which was retweeted by
dozens of people, came from
an account using the name
‘Andrea Saul.’
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7. My Tips
 Go old school! Contact source
 What is the original source?
 Check location of the posts
 Social media history of source
 Seek official and social corroboration
 Beware of amazing images –
TinEye.com | Google Images
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8. What They Learn
 Critical thinking – don’t take social
media info at face value
 Analyze credibility of social media
sources/tips
 Balance pressure to disseminate with
traditional news values
 Ease/risk of spreading misinformation
on social media platforms
 Collaboration with colleagues
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9. Anthony Adornato
@AnthonyAdornato
Syracuse University
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