Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Check the source — then check the URL


Instances actually have modified since I used to be in journalism faculty what appears stay ceaselessly in the past.

On the time, we had ethics and the significance of reality and accuracy repeatedly emphasised to us in just about each class we took.

After all, this was again once we typed on typewriters and did many of the work on the paper on, effectively paper.

Now, it’s all digital. From typing my tales on laptop to designing the pages, importing images and posting the entire package and caboodle onto the Wetaskiwin Instances web site and Fb pages.

I keep in mind when bloggers first began out and everybody who sat behind a keyboard and posted on-line referred to as themselves a reporter and it made my eye twitch.

When my household desires to share a bit of reports with me, particularly if it sounds just a little on the market, I’ll ask them to examine their supply and ensure it’s respected as a result of anybody wherever can put something they need on the Web and it’s as much as us as shoppers to find out if it’s true or not.

This previous weekend, nevertheless, I obtained hit full on within the face with one thing I by no means noticed coming.

I obtained a cellphone name asking me what I used to be doing sharing false details about COVID-19 instances and a fatality in Wetaskiwin.

I advised the caller I had no clue what he was speaking about and had by no means written a narrative like that as I do know full effectively Wetaskiwin has up to now been blessed to don’t have any fatalities from COVID-19.

As we navigated the hyperlinks that had led him to me, I noticed somebody had taken a web page off of the Wetaskiwin Instances web site they usually had used it as a template with my title and the Instances brand to put in writing a 100 per cent made up story. Not solely did the location it was linked to have inaccurate details about the inhabitants of Wetaskiwin and the variety of instances of COVID-19 within the metropolis, however the data within the story was incorrect on so many ranges — together with the URL.

Evidently, I contacted our safety individuals who defined how this might occur and whereas we’re making each effort to get it pulled down, I’ve a brand new bit of recommendation — not solely will I ask you to examine your sources and hope you depend the Wetaskiwin Instances as a dependable and correct supply of group information however I’ll ask you now, earlier than you share these tales, examine the URL and ensure it has wetaskiwintimes.com. If it doesn’t it’s faux information within the truest sense of the phrase.

Questions of feedback? E mail cmax@postmedia.com

 



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