Thread by @GrantRants

Journalism thread:

It is not unusual these days to hear folk say that we don't need journalists or legacy news agencies because we have social media and the "new" way to get news.
Except once again we see what happens when the faceless internet mob tries to be investigators.

Case in point, this poor guy, who was harassed, doxed and threatened because folk on Twitter incorrectly thought he was a cyclist who attacked a teenaged girl.

nymag.com/intelligencer/…

When the video of the attack went viral there were several calls for Twitter to "do its thing" and expose the then-unknown identity of the guy in the sunglasses and helmet.
Which Twitter promptly thought it did, pointing the figure at the wrong person.

How did this happen? Someone thought they identified the attacker by finding a picture of another guy in a helmet and glasses. No confirmations were done. No interviews. No double-checking. No editors to review the work. No accountability.

And so the man's name, address and other details were put out into the ether so the internet mob could be unleashed upon him. Putting aside, for the moment, that mob justice isn't justice, this is damned dangerous and irresponsible.

Because those playing detective didn't know what they were doing, had no compunction about jumping to a (wrong) conclusion, an innocent person was harassed and put in danger. You can imagine the justified outrage if a newspaper journalist had done the same thing.

This isn't the first time social media users on platforms like Twitter or Reddit tried to Sherlock someone's identity and got it wrong. (Consider the Boston Marathon bombing case.) Largely anonymous Twitter users does not take the place of careful investigations.

Journalists work through layers of accountability before anything is published. Other reporters and editors review stories. We are obligated to check, recheck and recheck again. We certainly would consult our lawyers before accusing someone of attacking a child.

To be clear, journalists do make mistakes sometimes. And there is a price when that happens. Stories are corrected. Sometimes apologies printed. Credibility is wounded. Sometimes, folk lose their jobs or face lawsuits.

We are not hiding behind behind a social media mask, we are transparent and fully accountable for what we publish. You can complain to the reporter, an editor, a public editor, the press council or use the courts.
The faceless internet mob faces no such consequences.

Investigating serious incidents is a serious business. It is not easy. And you have to be very careful and methodical to avoid making an error as grievous as falsely accusing someone of a crime.
Social media warriors do not operate that way. But investigative journalists do.

So this is why I hope you will support local journalism and subscribe to your local paper. Because quality journalism is important, and cannot be replaced by a Google search and a Twitter account.
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