How to Report on COVID-19 Disinformation

CLICK BELOW TO NAVIGATE VIDEO CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro by Anne Koch (GIJN)
3:28 - Revealing who's behind false claims about COVID-19 masks by Craig Silverman (BuzzFeed News)
28:33 - Situation in Brazil and how to verify content by Jose Antonio Lima (Comprova)
58:32 - Q&A with audience by Eunice Au (GIJN)

The COVID-19 pandemic, already highly complex, is made even more difficult to report by the proliferation of misinformation about drugs, cures, death rates and more. Along with assertions that are simply false, information is spun or twisted in myriad ways.

Whether it’s unverified, misleading or false information — distinctions made by Craig Silverman, one of the speakers in this webinar — it is a major issue for public safety and trust, as well as for journalists. Reporters and their editors obviously have a responsibility to publish accurate information, but checking out misinformation is increasingly part of the investigative process and can take a reporter to a good story.

In this webinar, Reporting COVID-19 Disinformation, two veteran journalists share their tips and strategies for dealing with the flood of bad information.

Craig Silverman is an award-winning journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on online misinformation, fake news, and content verification. He is the media editor of BuzzFeed News where he leads a global beat covering platforms, online misinformation, and media manipulation. Craig was named to the Politico 50 for his work exposing fake news and its effect on American politics and has won numerous awards. He edited The Verification Handbook and The Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting, and is author of the award-winning book “Mafiaboy.”

Jose Antonio Lima has worked in media both in Brazil and internationally, and is now an assistant editor at Comprova, a nonprofit that brings together journalists from 28 media companies in Brazil to investigate misleading and false content. Comprova is coordinated by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) and was set up during the 2018 Brazilian election to encourage collaborative investigation of misinformation. It currently focuses on the COVID-19 crisis.

The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of journalism organizations that support the training and sharing of information among investigative and data journalists—with special attention to those from repressive regimes and marginalized communities.

Our key activities include:

Providing resources and networking services to investigative journalists worldwide;
Publishing in multiple languages and on multiple platforms the latest tools, techniques and opportunities for those in the field;
Helping organize and promote regional and international training conferences and workshops;
Assisting in the formation and sustainability of journalism organizations involved in investigative reporting and data journalism around the world;
Supporting and promoting best practices in investigative and data journalism;
Supporting and promoting efforts to ensure free access to public documents and data worldwide.