Ahead of the e-curve : leading global social media verification education from Asia in a 21st century mediascape

Abstract

The internet has spurred a continuous flow of information and misinformation on digital participatory platforms that enable easy access for ordinary citizens and journalists alike to receive and disseminate information; yet training and rigorous research in verification has not kept up with rapid changes in technology. Focus on so-called ‘fake news’ grew rapidly during this research as US President Donald Trump’s proclamations on the topic put the term into the global lexicon, however the often dangerous ‘chilling effects’ caused by online misinformation and disinformation had already taken effect in Asia. This study aimed to discover and document the steps and processes involved in verifying online information, with an overarching goal to teach journalism students how to verify online information in order to graduate with skills ‘ahead of the e-curve’ in verification education for industry. While previous research has well documented the use of social media in news production, a gap in the literature was identified by the researcher to focus on the exact steps and procedures required by journalism practitioners when verifying cyber content against professional standards. This research argues, at a time when the issue of trust in journalism is under great threat, journalism students must be equipped with the skills and critical thinking to verify and debunk the relentless flow of online information in real-time.

This mixed-methods study collaborated with verification experts from industry including traditional media, as well as new media organisations such as the First Draft Coalition and Google News Labs, to create an immersive, experiential learning project for journalism students. The research was divided broadly into three separate methods including three experiential experiments which beta tested the open-source verification platform ‘Check’; a case study reflection on the 2014 Occupy Central protests; and expert interviews and workshops. Interviews conducted by the researcher with industry verification experts revealed their concerns over a lack of social media verification skills globally among journalism graduates. The research based its theoretical concepts of journalism and verification on the News Literacy curriculum developed by Stony Brook University which was being adapted at the University of Hong Kong to an Asian context.

A verification measurement rating scale was designed by the researcher to grade the quality of students’ verification skills - this addressed a further research gap to develop a focused scale in the Media Literacy sub set of News Literacy. Findings from the research utilizing the measurement scale revealed students applied new knowledge and developed critical thinking, with the measurement scale finding up to a five-fold improvement in skills over the course. Findings also included a significant change in attitude and behavior by students towards their social media practices. Against the rigorous measurement scale (built through iterations with industry experts) students were well prepared by the end of the course to graduate with ahead of the ‘e-curve’ industry skills. New knowledge about the online verification steps, procedures, and tools, as well as a News Literacy based measurement scale is offered for the first time in this study to the academic literature.