Learn essential tools and techniques for verifying online information, and learn how to quickly identify hoaxes that could negatively affect brands and companies. Craig will also offer some tips on how to create online content that enhances credibility. Craig delivered this presentation at CNW Presents... The New PR on November 19, 2014 in Toronto.

1. @CraigSilverman
Adjunct Faculty, Poynter | Fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism |
Founder of Emergent.info
Creating & Curating Trusted
Content

2. Three Crash Courses
1.Creating credible content
2.Verifying digital content.
3.Quashing rumors.

5. Trust & Connection

6. 1. Hallmarks of Credible
Content

7. Images: The Noun Project

8. Hallmarks: Human
• In voice and tone.
• Use simple language.
• Easy on the SEO and keywords.
• Attach it to a person.
• Speaking, not reciting.
Psyche designed by Julian Claus from the Noun Project
Robot designed by Niels Gesquiere from the Noun Project

9. Hallmarks: Provenance
• Who/what is it from?
• Show your work: links,
sourcing.

10. Hallmarks: Accountability
• Feedback loop.
• No scrubbing: changes
are noted, corrections
are added and errors
are acknowledged.
• Comments are
responded to.

11. Correction: An earlier version of this article
claimed that journalists at Bloomberg
Businessweek could be disciplined for
sipping a spritzer at work. This is not true.
Sorry. We must have been drunk on the job.

12. Hallmarks: Polished
• No typos.
• Proper formatting.
• No broken links.
• Images load properly.
• Embedded content works.
Okay designed by Milky - Digital innovation from the Noun Project

14. 2. Verification

15. Principles of Verification
• Identify the original source.
• Confirm date and time.
• Confirm content of the information.
• Research similar events, content.
• Seek additional sources. “How do you know that?”
• Triangulate all collected information.
• Communicate and collaborate.

16. Verifying Social Media

17. Evaluate the Account &
Person
•Check when account was created
•Be suspicious of brand-new accounts
•Analyze the network
•Friends, followers, conversations, retweets
•What do they usually tweet/post about?
•Where do they say they are?
•Evaluate tweets/posts before and after

18. Check Outside Social Media
•See if you can find other accounts
online with the info you have.
•Use Spokeo, Pipl, WebMii for searching
the name.
•DM them, get on the phone, Skype

19. Check the Content
•Get details and additional
corroboration from people, images,
etc.
•Are others reporting this incident or
event?
•If so, what sourcing are they using?

20. Verifying Photos &
Video

25. Shell hoax

26. Verifying Photos & Video
•Check exif info: regex.info/exif.cgi
•Check history of photo with reverse image search:
TinEye, Google Images

28. Verifying Photos & Video
•Reference locations against maps and
existing images from the area
• Check: Clothes, buildings, language,
license plates, vehicles, etc.
•Examine weather reports, shadows to
confirm conditions shown fit date and
time

29. Verifying Photos & Video
•Review the uploader’s history/location
•Are there images before and after you can
compare to?
•Get the uploader on the phone or Skype to
talk about the image
•Beware of the amazing shot in a breaking
news situation, or directed at you: People
want to troll brands.

30. Debunker Toolkit
• VerificationHandbook.
com
• Skype/Phone
• Reverse image
search
• EXIF reader
• Google Maps/Earth
• Who.is
• Spokeo,
Pipl.com,WebMii.com
• Twitter Advanced
Search
• YouTube Data Viewer
• gramfeed.com
Links: https://bitly.com/bundles/silverman/3

31. 3. Refuting Rumors

33. P&G Rumor
• Started in 1980s
• 15,000 phone calls a
month to the company.
• Reaction: Truth Kits sent
out to churches, engaged a
media relations campaign,
sued.

35. “[W]e are fundamentally social beings and
we possess an irrepressible instinct to
make sense of the world. Put these ideas
together and we get shared sensemaking:
We make sense of life together. Rumor is
perhaps the quintessential shared
sensemaking activity.”
— Nicholas DiFonzo, author of “The Watercooler Effect: A
Psychologist Explores the Extraordinary Power of
Rumors.”

36. Rumors emerge
in situations of
uncertainty, fear,
or lack of
information.
Lake Monster Attack designed by Luis Prado from the Noun Project

37. “The most common
recommendation for reducing
rumours is to reduce
uncertainty. This goal can be
achieved by providing
accurate and timely
information and having open
channels of communication.”
— Rumor Psychology

40. Managing Rumors
• Lay the groundwork: regular,
credible communication.
• Move quickly.
• Be definitive, be positive.
• Offer an alternate narrative.
• Find a trusted source: Truth
Kits.
• Use humor when appropriate.
Whisper designed by chris dawson from the Noun Project

41. Remember
• Credible content is all checkmarks and no flags.
• Be accountable for what you publish, give credit where it’s due,
and be responsive to feedback.
• Verification requires you to check the source and the content.
• Don’t rush to be wrong. Communicate and collaborate.
• Rumors emerge in contexts of uncertainty. Ongoing, credible
communication lays the groundwork to respond.
• Be fast, be clear, use third parties when you can.
Build trust and create connection through your content.