The document discusses how journalism is evolving to incorporate collaborative verification on social media platforms. It notes that tweets and social media disrupt traditional concepts of communication and blur public and private spheres. However, verification remains the core of journalism. The document suggests journalists will develop new tools to enlist citizens in the verification process in a networked way. Emerging practices like live updates pages allow journalism to present unfolding truths. Facts are difficult to determine and open to interpretation, but reporter-curators may leverage new verification technologies to present more reliable information in real-time on social streams. Journalism is becoming a tentative and iterative process where multiple accounts are examined publicly.

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

2. 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: Tasayu Tasnaphun Legay http://www.flickr.com/photos/tasayu/

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

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

5. Twitter users as network of news sensors
Sakaki et al, 2010

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

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

8. 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/

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

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