Reports spreading bird flu

UPDATE:LOL headline from WCPO on 1/26/2019

"Fact check: Viral misinformation about Covington Catholic, Nathan Phillips infects the internet"

Tweets beat the press

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 22, 2019

When reporters put together their "news" reports using social media as their "source" they are spreading bird flu!

There was a lot of hype about the Native American standoff with a group of students in Washington. Every news source jumped on the story, but it turns out the origins of the story was on Twitter.

Twitter suspends account behind video of Native American’s standoff with teens

The account, with the username @2020fight, was set up in December 2016 and supposedly belonged to a California schoolteacher named Talia — but the actual owner was by a blogger based in Brazil, according to CNN Business.

What followed was the school had to close, the student and his family were threatened. All of this because of a Tweet?

The full video received over 800,000 views by the time I saw it yesterday. Now it is over 1,775,000. It shows what else went on. Countless other videos have been put online from different angles.

The thing is, how did this end up being viral "news" when it really did not happen?

It is because somehow, someone decided that Tweets beat the press doing their jobs.

We saw it when a soldier claimed he saved a man's life with a pen after an accident. Turns out that was not true, and the Army had to retract the story.

We saw it when the couple claimed that a homeless veteran helped the female with $20 dollars and ended up collecting over 400,000 from GoFundMe, which had to be given back. It was all a scam.

We saw it when a disabled veteran set out to collect money to pay for Trump's wall. Turns out that you cannot tell the government what to do with money you donate to the government. Still he raised over $16 million before people started to catch on and now with over $20 million, he is changing his plans...with another campaign.

We saw it when the press jumped all over the report that said there were 22 veterans a day committing suicide. Trouble on that one too. It turns out that report was limited data from just 21 states. 

Over and over again, someone puts something up online and the press just uses it without knowing what it true and what is an ear worm!

And just who is going to make sure they are held to account for themselves? Their editors? Their Board of Directors? Their Advertisers? The Public?

“No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will.” ― Thomas Jefferson

But it seems as if they are a little too free!!!!

The 5 Principles of Ethical Journalism

1. Truth and AccuracyJournalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. We should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. When we cannot corroborate information we should say so.

2. IndependenceJournalists must be independent voices; we should not act, formally or informally, on behalf of special interests whether political, corporate or cultural. We should declare to our editors – or the audience – any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or other personal information that might constitute a conflict of interest.

3. Fairness and ImpartialityMost stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.

4. HumanityJournalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images on the lives of others.

5. AccountabilityA sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors we must correct them and our expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.