To go along with our effort to clarify false or fabricated news on the international level, we have collected a number of sites and articles that deepen our understanding of the challenges.
References on verification and related topics of interest
The problem of false or fabricated information brings up the challenge of verification among others. Here are a few sites that we have found helpful or interesting:
- Case studies from Bellingcat include a guide to reverse image search on YouTube videos.
- First Draft News offers a number of resources related to social newsgathering and verification.
- A number of tools from The Social Media Reporter on … social media reporting skills like verification.
- The Fake News Reddit has examples of the “fake news” process and suggestions for further reading.
- Verification Junkie offers a directory of tools related to verification including Meedan's Check.
Cases: Stories from our Global Voices Authors
Global Voices has been following cases of news that include fabrications and misinformation around the world. Here are some examples of our work:
Africa
- Dear CNN, Uganda is not Tanzania (5 April 2015)
- Two Tanzanians Accused of Posting ‘False Information’ Face Charges Under New Cybercrime Law (19 October 2015)
- Ghanians Oppose Shutdown of Social Media Platforms during Elections (30 May 2016, complaints of misinformation and rumors as justification)
- South Sudanese Journalists Face Increasing Threats as Violence Peaks (1 August 2016, misinformation)
- Fake News, Peaceful Voting and Other Things on Ghanaians’ Minds Ahead of Elections (6 December 2016)
Americas
- President Chávez and his “Communicational Guerrilla” (16 April 2010)
- Forest Fires in Chile Set Alight Debate, Conflict and Misinformation (6 February 2017)
Asia
- Japan: Toxic Rain, Earthquake Weapons and Other False Rumors (13 March 2011)
- Analysis: How Pakistani Politicians and Fake Accounts Drove Twitter Trends on Lahore's Rare Political Violence (19 June 2014)
- Indian Migrant Worker Arrested in Saudi Arabia for Denouncing Working Conditions on Facebook (22 March 2016, references Saudi law on “spread of misinformation” on the Internet)
- Kazakh TV Channel Famed for Fake News in Hot Water after Fake Interview (20 December 2016)
- How the US Marines Spread Fake News about an Afghan ‘Terrorist’ in Okinawa (21 January 2017)
- The Fake News Photos Justifying the Return of Martial Law to the Philippines (1 June 2017)
Europe
- Russia Is About to Lose “Fake News,” But the Internet Freedoms Going with It Are Real (25 July 2014)
- Fake ‘Ukrainian’ Websites Run by Russian ‘Troll Army’ Offshoots (19 November 2014)
- How Economic Hardship Pushed a Tiny Town in Macedonia Into Becoming Pro-Trump (27 July 2016)
- How Fake Stories Reported in Russia's News Media Regularly Fool Everyone (12 September 2016)
Middle East and North Africa
- Inaccurate Reports of ‘ISIS Taking Over Star Wars Set’ Anger Tunisians (17 March 2015)
- Syrian Refugees? Get Your Facts Straight Before You Share Their Stories (6 October 2015)
- The Thin Line Between Political Censorship and Fighting Fake News in Iran (8 December 2016)
Cases: Efforts on the Regional and National Level
These efforts to address “fake” news and related issues have been considered noteworthy by our authors and editors:
- Macedonia: Metamorphosis's Media Fact-Checking Service
- South Asia: South Asia Check
- Ukraine: StopFake.org
