It's really hard to know what to believe right now, especially when you are looking at posts on social media platforms like Facebook or X (aka Twitter). I found that particularly difficult in the last couple of weeks when trying to get accurate news about events in the middle East.
Bellingcat has become an essential resource when dealing with news on the internet. They bill themselves as an "independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists brought together by a passion for open source research." Their website includes a wide selection of articles and guides dealing with a range of current topics including several major journalishtic investigations.
They've just published "Separating Fact from Fiction on Social Media in Times of Conflict".
In a time of crisis, social media is flooded with images, videos and bold claims. This can be useful for researchers like ourselves but overwhelming for the general public seeking the facts.
At Bellingcat, we pride ourselves on providing tools and resources for our audience to think critically about sources they find online. In this short guide, we give a few tips on what to consider when confronted with an abundance of footage and claims.
Here’s how to separate fact from fiction with real, recent examples of misinformation.
I can't recommend this short guide highly enough. It provides a handy framework for sorting out the real from the unreal in today's crazy information environment.
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