DIGITAL VERIFIER
Fact-checker fights fake news
Media houses turn to Dublin-based researcher Storyful to verify stories and keep reputations intact, but there’s concern the fake news wildfire is out of control, writes David Gauvey Herbert
For seven years, Storyful, a social media researcher in Dublin, has consulted for news outlets such as ABC and the Wall Street Journal, using a small team of reporters to try to keep those operations from embarrassing themselves online. Mostly, that’s meant fact-checking viral media in real time, making sure a video floating about on Twitter really shows, say, the latest barrel bomb explosion in Aleppo — rather than a roadside bomb in Homs — before it goes into a client’s breaking-news post. Since US election day, the team’s strategy has become more complicated. "Fake news has dominated 90% of our conversations," says Storyful CEO Rahul Chopra. While Facebook and Twitter denied, then grudgingly acknowledged, the role they played in spreading newsy-looking lies during the crucial final weeks of the US presidential campaign, Chopra’s staff focused on ways to debunk false items. Just before Thanksgiving, Storyful released Verify, a free add-on for Google’s Chrome browser that automatic...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.