A Guide to Countering Mis/Disinformation During a Crisis.
Amid unprecedented events, our news feeds overflow with reports, images, and videos, making real-time truth discernment challenging. This thread equips you with the tools for effective navigation amidst such situations.
When "Breaking News" emerges, the rush to lead and control the narrative ensues. Reports are hastily assembled, drawing from private sources, alleged incident images, and precedent, often intertwined with personal opinions. This process is standard, but it also leads to issues.
The hurried reporting often results in the publication of false testimonies, mislabeling unrelated pictures and videos as connected to the event, and unsourced reports driving a false narrative about the sequence of events.
How can WE avoid this?
Step 1: Be aware of your own bias.
Your belief system influences the narrative you embrace regarding "Breaking News." People often scramble to latch onto reports, pictures, or videos that align with their preconceived conclusions about the event, forgoing a critical analysis.
Step 2: Ignore reports that don't provide a source.
You are going to have to filter through a lot of content as you try to piece together what transpired. Ignore anything that doesn't provide a source for their claims about the event.
Step 3: For reports with alleged sources, check them!
Sometimes, the sources provided are "unnamed," "anonymous," or overly vague, such as when attributed statements are as generic as "a [country] official said". My advice would be to also initially ignore these alleged sources.
Step 4: For photos/videos attributed to the event - Patience.
Check for disputes regarding the origin of the photos/videos. Misattributed media is often swiftly "fact-checked." Moreover, consider using "Google Lens" on the image/video to uncover any possible older versions.
Step 5: Don't believe fact-checkers who don't provide sources.
Often, fact-checkers will rush to correct posts. Ensure that their explanations provide sources for their claims, and treat them as you would any "Breaking News" report.
Step 6: Don't rely on the captions or subtitles of videos of languages you don't speak.
If feasible, contact a user fluent in the language for verification. If not, attempt to locate a transcript of the video. Exercise caution with translation apps as they may not always be accurate.
Step 7: Sensational dazzles, yet truth it often eludes
Be cautious of initial reports packed with buzzwords and vivid details; they often serve a purpose. During a crisis, beware of clickbait designed to exploit biases and grab attention.
Navigating reports can be complex and time-consuming. This concise list aims to help you swiftly sift through your news feeds, drawing from personal experience to steer clear of fake reports, pictures, and videos.
For a more comprehensive overview of handling misinformation:
Note: A frequently asked question is, "Who should I follow for accuracy?"
We all have biases, which can lead to mistakes. Follow those you trust, but remain cautious and ensure they source anything they post. After all, we're all human and prone to errors.
Thanks for reading!
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It's extremely concerning how easily AI videos are already fooling the general public. Endless replies on the OPs post either unable to tell if it's real/fake or believe it to be genuine.
It won't be long until it'll be virtually impossible to tell the difference.
3 tips to help tell which videos are AI: 1. Look at the fine details of the video. For this one, the AI messes up when the penguin tries to eat the shrimp:
2. Familiarize yourself with the subject of the video. Baby penguins don't look this cartoonish - comparison:
The following image from the hostage exchange has gained significant attention, with commentators highlighting it as an example of disinformation.
In fact, there are two possible disinformation scenarios at play here.
Let me explain:
This image was uploaded by QudsFeed at 20:17 local time, claiming to show the hostage exchange that had occurred earlier. Unfortunately, I couldn't determine the exact timing of the event from this image due to the absence of significantly visible shadows.
However, official footage from Hamas, showing the actual exchange, reveals that the Red Cross vehicles were positioned directly next to those carrying the three hostages—something that is not reflected in the aerial view provided
On October 7th, 2023 the number of children (17 & younger) killed was 36 - NOT 40.
This thread provides a thorough correction to the OPs list. A more detailed list of the 36 children killed on Oct 7th will be published at a later date.
First, based on some of the mistakes in this list - I know they come from the official list published by the @IsraelMFA.
I know this because I spotted those mistakes when I went through verifying all the names of the civilian causalities, using their list as a starting point back in April 2024.
This video has nothing to do with the fires in California.
This video was uploaded on Tiktok by @dodon_66, and showcases a fire at the "Badhütte Rorschach", a bathing house located in Rorschach, Switzerland that was burnt down in a fire on December 23, 2024.
Geolocation thread 🧵:
Geolocation: 47.47961520941571, 9.486873095034133
A second video posted by the user also showcases the "Badhütte Rorschach" much more clearly - comparison:
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of representing @FakeReporter at @Limmud 2024, where I discussed the critical challenges we face daily—from managing the spread of fake news during crises to understanding the severe repercussions of misinformation, such as digital or physical lynchings and even the denial of atrocities.
A snippet from one of the lectures:
"The Power of Lies: Disinformation's Role in Sparking Chaos and Conflict."
In this section, I discussed how public WhatsApp groups, fueled by hatred, fake news, and lack of police oversight, contributed to the 2021 Bat Yam lynching.
A Bonus🧵:
Here’s a quick thread of posts I’ve created that highlight the prevalence of fake news in our daily lives, its impacts, and strategies to combat it.
A guide I created to help traverse information online during a crisis:
The video originates from a Facebook account called "Moin Fishing/Nomads Cooking".
It was likely filmed in Iran - Which I determined via a license plate that appears in 1 of their videos.
It's not 100% clear if the videos are scripted or genuine.
The origin of the video is Iran, due to this license plate that appears in one of their videos:
Scripted vs genuine:
Every video plays on a very specific type of scenario that appears to be scripted - but I can't say it is with 100% certainty.
I hope the video is scripted and the people in the video aren't actually suffering.