1st Edition
Evaluating Digital Sources in Journalism An Introduction to Digital Source Criticism
Building on a rich journalistic tradition of critical source analysis, this book considers the impact of the move from analogue to digital sources on information quality and presents methods and tools to verify information found online and help counter the spread of misinformation.
Evaluating Digital Sources in Journalism critically maps the prevalence of online manipulation, particularly images and videos from social media platforms, and considers the tools needed both to carry out and to counter this. Strategies are proposed to help readers evaluate content, context and sources, and ultimately build a foundation for carrying out their own online open-source investigations. The author brings together theories and best practices from a broad range of literature, including modern Scandinavian research on the concept of “source criticism”, journalism and technology studies, advanced forensic verification research, and literature designed for practitioners, including blogs and industry publications.
Evaluating Digital Sources in Journalism is recommended reading for advanced journalism students and journalism practitioners.
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Digital Sources: A critical approach
o Digital source criticism in four simple steps
o The epistemic foundation of source criticism
o Source criticism for journalists
o Traditional source criticism: a waste of time
o The necessity of a digital source criticism
o The effectiveness of network reading
o Understanding the Internet’s signals
o Questions for reflection and exercises
Chapter 2: Digital manipulation and disinformation
o Introduction
o Recognise suspicious user accounts
o Motivations for manipulation
o Journalists as targets
o The value of manipulating a journalist
§ Google bombing
§ No follow: maintaining critical distance in the digital domain
o Wikipedia – for journalists
§ Contributing to Wikipedia as a journalist
§ Wikidata
o Internet outrage and social media rows
o Undercover trolls: when the media takes the bait
o A solution in sight
o Unearthing digital networks
o Media manipulation
§ Image and video manipulation
§ Audio manipulation
o Questions for reflection and exercises
Chapter 3: Verifying information
o Introduction
o The layers of journalism
o Figures and statistics in brief
o User-generated content
o The verification process
o Verification and mental health
o Verification resources
o Questions for reflection and exercises
Chapter 4: Journalism, Online Open-Source Investigations and OSINT
o Introduction
o Digging through open digital sources
o From military to civil use
o Complex digital investigative journalism stories
o Sleuthing, or digging on your own
o The process of digital investigative journalism
o Debunking information posted by the President of Brazil
o Creative methods for open-source investigations
o Three cases of investigative reporting in which open sources played a major role
o Dramatically effective methods
o Questions for reflection and exercises
Glossary
Index
Biography
Ståle Grut is a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oslo’s Department of Media and Communication. He spent close to a decade at the Norwegian public broadcasting's R&D lab, NRKbeta, as a strategic advisor and journalist covering new media. Grut has also served as an advisor at the Tinius Trust, controlling the largest shareholding of Schibsted Media Group, and as a board member of the Norwegian Online News Association.
