VERIFICATION SHOP TALK AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday, June 22nd 2022 at 1200 UTC
Confirming the details for this: a shop talk on the latest methods for verifying content, and our annual meeting, which provides an opportunity to hear about, among other things, our plans for a conference.
We are hoping to have at least one invited guest who will join us to talk about the latest methods used, with particular relevance to the war in Ukraine, when it comes to verifying vision, information and social media posts.
In the lead-up to the shop talk, here are two interesting items for you to read/watch in preparation.
The first is this short video from the BBC that discusses the techniques they use to verify social media posts about the Ukraine war.
The second is this Politifact article that sets out the extent of the problem – the amount of disinformation being spread across the internet.
No doubt all of us have our own approaches to the challenge, and it will be a great opportunity to swap notes and hear the experiences of others.
So please join us on the day. The details are as follows:
ZOOM LINK FOR SHOP TALK & AGM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89561496516?pwd=cnN1REJVR3R3RGJHMnVUYnM5cWJuZz09
Meeting ID: 895 6149 6516 Passcode: 779197
OOPS!!
How does your news organization approach mistakes? Does it deny, ignore, minimise? Does it provide the most minimal correction permissible, and hope no one notices?
Or does it use a mistake as an opportunity to build trust, to demonstrate a transparency and accountability that its readers, viewers and listeners genuinely appreciate?
.This article from Nieman Lab discusses ways in which editorial mistakes, if handled properly, can build trust. It’s a perspective many of our members would understand and embrace.
THE ROLE OF A NEWS OMBUDSMAN:
“PROFESSIONS FOR HUMILITY”
From our ONO colleague in Mexico, Ana Cecilia Terrazas, comes this fascinating article exploring the role of news ombuds around the world.
It compares the ombudsman role in many countries with the ‘defender of the audience’ role that exists throughout much of South and Central America, and it also teases out the most common problems that can make the work of ombuds more difficult.
The original article is in Spanish, but Google Translate does a pretty good job of translating it for a wider audience.
SHOULD THE NEW YORK TIMES BRING BACK ITS PUBLIC EDITOR?
The New York Times has a new editor, Joe Kahn, and one of the first issues raised with him is whether or not the paper should reinstate the role of Public Editor.
Between 2003 and 2017, the role of Public Editor at the NYT was filled by a succession of six senior and well-respected journalists, but the position was abolished in 2017 and replaced with a commitment by the newspaper to spending more time listening to direct criticisms from readers via social media and other communication channels.
At the time, the decision was criticised by many, who felt the media needed proper structural accountability more than ever before.
Now, with a change of editorship, the issue is back on the table.
So should the position be re-established? You be the judge.
Here is the argument in favour: https://fallows.substack.com/p/two-new-possibilities-for-the-times?s=r
And here is the argument against: https://thefineprintnyc.com/article/case-against-new-york-times-public-editor-twtw/
ISLAS MALVINAS
At the risk of sparking an international incident, we can report that the office of ONO Board Member and Defensoria del Publico in Argentina, Miriam Lewin, has just released new editorial guidelines on how to report on the islands known as the Malvinas in Argentina and the Falklands in the United Kingdom.
The islands have long been the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the two nations, which of course included the Falklands War in 1982.
With the 40th anniversary of that conflict now due, the Argentinian media have been provided with guidelines on how to report on the issue.
They make for interesting reading.
In the interests of acknowledging differing views on the issue, while we have been unable to locate any similar guidelines in the UK, there is no shortage of articles available which provide a different perspective on the issues involved.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
It has been a busy time for our colleagues in Argentina.
They have also just released an important new report about the incidence of digital violence against women.
Miriam Lewin, who released the report, says “the right to free expression is damaged when women are attacked in networks, when they have to leave the networks because they are attacked.”
It’s an issue many of us will be familiar with. You can find out more about the report here.
