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After watching the Hunter Biden story unfold yesterday, we& #39;ve pulled together a thread of resources for journalists & newsrooms thinking about covering these events, as we suspect conversations will continue and there is the potential threat that more materials will emerge.
In this thread, disinformation researcher @RidT examines materials from @nypost& #39;s Oct 14 story and points out reasons we should be skeptical of their authenticity, including file formats, metadata and the suspect way in which the materials surfaced: https://twitter.com/RidT/status/1316363540421316609">https://twitter.com/RidT/stat...
His advice to the media: verify every detail when the data is released in such a suspicious manner, and tell readers about the possibility this is part of a disinformation campaign. https://twitter.com/RidT/status/1316371802482970626">https://twitter.com/RidT/stat...
Stanford& #39;s @janinezacharia and @GrottoAndrew created 10 newsroom guidelines for reporting on propaganda: https://fsi-live.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/playbook_10_guidelines_-_how_to_report_responsibly_on_hacks_disinformation.pdf">https://fsi-live.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-publ...
Key tips from Zacharia and Grotto:
Be aware journalists are targeted adversaries. Ask yourself if you& #39;re being used to amplify disinfo or hacks
Be explicit in your story about the content& #39;s origins and what you know about the source& #39;s motivations
Avoid linking to disinfo
Be aware journalists are targeted adversaries. Ask yourself if you& #39;re being used to amplify disinfo or hacks
Be explicit in your story about the content& #39;s origins and what you know about the source& #39;s motivations
Avoid linking to disinfo
There are questions about who organized this operation and how. Absent clear evidence, avoid making claims about responsibility (incl foreign interference claims). Don& #39;t assume "Russian disinformation" or "hack by anti-China agents." Motivation for this operation =/= they did it
Because attribution (origin) stories for disinfo campaigns can be tricky to write and often require digital forensics knowledge, First Draft and @stanfordio created resources (tipsheets, a glossary and case studies) to help journalists cover these stories: https://attribution.news/ ">https://attribution.news/">...
If a source approaches your newsroom with evidence that XYZ entity was involved, research the source& #39;s track record for accuracy. Even if they have a good record, run the evidence by experts/experienced colleagues before printing the claims
