Tweets and Truth

Tweets and Truth
Journalism as a discipline of collaborative verification
Alfred Hermida
Future of Journalism 2011
Cardiff University, 8 – 9 September

Social awareness streams
“They disrupt established concepts of communication, prevailing notions of space and time and the distinction between public and private spheres.”
Arceneaux and Schmitz Weiss, 2010
Photo: TasayuTasnaphunLegay http://www.flickr.com/photos/tasayu/

Facts, truth, reality
Verification as the essence of journalism (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2001)
Photo: MeganMorris http://www.flickr.com/photos/megangoodchild/

Networked architectures
“Journalists must find tools that will enlist a methodology of verification in a more citizen-oriented way.”
Kovach, 2006
Photo: HaagsUitburoTasnaphun http://www.flickr.com/photos/haagsuitburo/

Twitter users as network of news sensors
Sakakiet al, 2010

Emerging practices: “Live updates” pages
“The unfolding truth in all its guises,” Herrmann, 2009
Photo: United Nations http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/

Discussion
“Facts are messy, difficult to determine and they are often dependent on interpretation.”
Brennen, 2009
Photo: RudoniProductions http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudoni/

Discussion
Reporter-curators “will take advantage of novel ‘verification technologies’ that will be increasingly faster and more reliable and advanced.”
Bruno, 2010
Photo: Greekadman http://www.flickr.com/photos/papazimouris/

Conclusion
Journalism as a tentative and iterative process where contested accounts are examined and evaluated in public in real-timeon social awareness streams.
Photo: Patrick Hoesly http://www.flickr.com/photos/zooboing/

Thank you
alfred.hermida@ubc.ca
@hermida
New book out now
All royalties go to Reporters Without Borders

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Tweets and Truth

by Alfred Hermida on Sep 07, 2011

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Tweets and Truth — Presentation Transcript