We Still Don’t Know How to Stop Misinformation Online

Posted
By: Alexis Sobel Fitts | CJR
From the beginning the story seemed suspect, but that didn’t stop the New York Post’s report last month of a surgically enhanced, three-breasted woman from overtaking the internet. By the time the story was debunked, just a day later, the tabloid-friendly tale had already made the rounds, generating posts on BuzzFeed, The Week, The Telegraph and the New York Daily News. Together, those stories were shared almost 190,000 times on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. But stories correcting the record, like TMZ’s “3-Boobed Woman a Fake,” generated about a third as many shares. - See more at: http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/corrections_dont_go_viral.php#sthash.uNPGNCQM.dpuf
From the beginning the story seemed suspect, but that didn’t stop the New York Post’s report last month of a surgically enhanced, three-breasted woman from overtaking the internet. By the time the story was debunked, just a day later, the tabloid-friendly tale had already made the rounds, generating posts on BuzzFeed, The Week, The Telegraph and the New York Daily News. Together, those stories were shared almost 190,000 times on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. But stories correcting the record, like TMZ’s “3-Boobed Woman a Fake,” generated about a third as many shares.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here


Scroll the Latest Job Opportunities From The Media Job Board