The Age of Disinformation, the ‘worst’ perpetrator of misinformation on the internet, and the Spiegel scandal
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Published in
3 min readDec 28, 2018
edited by Marco Nurra
- 5 Lessons for Reporting in an Age of Disinformation, by (). Agents of disinformation use anonymous online spaces to seed rumors and fabricated content, hoping to eventually reach professional news outlets. How can journalists protect themselves from being manipulated?
- Der Spiegel to run 23-page special on reporter who faked stories. Claas Relotius, 33, resigned after admitting making up stories and inventing protagonists in more than a dozen articles in the magazine’s print and online editions.
- The Spiegel scandal and the seduction of storytelling. “Facts are the essence of journalism. “Fact-checking is vital. I’ve been arguing that in J-schools, we need to do more to teach as a skill verification of both facts and of what people are saying in social media. But in the end, we must remember that facts themselves are a system that can be manipulated,” writes .
- The President of the United States is the “worst” perpetrator of misinformation on the internet, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion David Kaye said in an interview. “Governments are real offenders when it comes to disinformation,” said Kaye. “In my own country, the United States, the worst perpetrator of false information is the President of the United States.”
- BBC releases 16,000 WAV files of sound effects and field recordings. Britain’s national radio station has shared a huge cache of sound files from its archives — 16,000 recordings from across the world and throughout its 90-year history of broadcasting. The collection includes audio clips such as “South American parrot talking and screeching” and “Morocco: Marrakesh, market square with music & distant traffic,” as well as charming local fare like various “Westminster Abbey bells” and “1 lorry passing slowly.” The set also includes sound effects created in the BBC studios for radio plays and other programs.
- Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar to lodge appeal. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who reported on Rohingya crisis, have spent more than a year in prison.
- Mexico: An ice box containing the head and hands of an unidentified male were left outside Tamaulipas newspaper office, together with a threatening message directed at local journalists. According to photos shared on social media, the accompanying message was not directed at a specific news outlet or reporter. “To the newspapers allied with the government of Cabeza de Vaca by multimillion contracts, they will not save you and this is proof. Continue to be quiet so you can watch. The beef is not with you. Understand,” the message, which lacked punctuation and was not signed, said.
- Nieman Lab annual end-of-year predictions (more than 100) for what’s coming for journalism in 2019. Each year, they ask some of the smartest people in journalism and digital media what they think is coming in the next 12 months. Here’s what they had to say.
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