tweets and truth

Tweets and TruthJournalism as a discipline of collaborative verification

Alfred Hermida

Future of Journalism 2011Cardiff 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: Tasayu Tasnaphun Legay http://www.flickr.com/photos/tasayu/

Facts, truth, realityVerification 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: Haags UitburoTasnaphun http://www.flickr.com/photos/haagsuitburo/

Twitter users as network of news sensorsSakaki et 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: Rudoni Productions 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-time on 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