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Listening to @amandajcrawford on media misinformation following the Sandy Hook shooting. She starts with a discussion of social media use & trust in mass media. As she reminds us, these data are still super relevant today. #UCHI @UCHI_UConn
Mass shootings were so frequent in 2012 that she & other journalists often kept bags packed ready to fly off to the next location to report on it, @amandajcrawford says. Horrifying. #UCHI @UCHI_UConn
Coverage was problematic, @amandajcrawford notes. It was sensationalized, focused a lot on the shooter, and overwhelmed victims and their families. Here's more info about some of the movements to not name/give a lot of attention to shooters: https://www.dontnamethem.org/ @UCHI_UConn
@amandajcrawford notes that the shooter's brother was named as the shooter for several hours by several outlets. Interestingly, the transcript for Stephen King's essay Guns *still* includes the brother's name in place of the actual shooter's on Amazon Prime today. @UCHI_UConn
Crawford shares a few clips pointing out some of the tropes that the coverage falls into, including initial reports of a second shooter and that the shooter's mother was a teacher at the school. Both were false. @amandajcrawford @UCHI_UConn
Her talk shifts now from how media outlets covered the shooting to how conspiracy theorists took that information & adapted it into hoax "proof." These are awful and, as @amandajcrawford points out, have been shared by individuals with varying levels of celebrity. @UCHI_UConn
We need to be aware that what we put out originally is still there in its original form, says @amandajcrawford, and even though we should correct & update as quickly as possible, the initial story remains & still circulates. @UCHI_UConn
Recognizing that & in response to @jschildkraut80's great points here, I'm trying to be extra attentive to my live-tweeting typing & summaries. (Please do let me know where I misspeak, @amandajcrawford!)
Other people get dragged into these conspiracy theories, such as the Good Samaritan figure that @amandajcrawford mentions, who helped victims early on but was later cast by trolls as an actor. Extra coverage of them & outrage reporting likely fed these theories. @UCHI_UConn
Many of the sensationalized stories about the shooting actively linked to YouTube videos & sites that perpetuated conspiracy theories, effectively further spreading the hoax. @amandajcrawford @UCHI_UConn
To debunk or not debunk?, @amandajcrawford asks. Ask yourself before you cover these conspiracy theories, will you spread it to new audiences? And has it reached a "tipping point" where there is a benefit to you addressing it? @UCHI_UConn
It's crucial that we address misinformation & debunk it, @amandajcrawford reaffirms. We just have to make sure we're approaching it effectively so that we don't amplify misinformation. @UCHI_UConn
@amandajcrawford ends w/ a case study of one particularly horrifying troll, which I won't expand upon here, & then points toward a May 2013 poll that was largely dismissed because it suggested that ~44% of Republicans polled thought armed revolution was necessary. Terrifying now.
We look to narratives as a way to explain or understand such acts of violence, @amandajcrawford & @LeeShore23 discuss. The lack of information from authorities meant there was a dearth of info early on; the investigative report took a year. Others rpts took longer. @UCHI_UConn
