Spotting misinformation and disinformation online
In the immediate aftermath of the attack yesterday, misinformation and disinformation started spreading on social media and elsewhere online about details of the shooting.
Misinformation is false information that is spread without the intent of misleading others, and is often mistakenly shared by someone who believes the content to be accurate.
Disinformation is deliberately fabricated or misleading information shared by someone to deceive people or sway public opinion. That can become misinformation if widely distributed.
The eSafety Commissioner has advice on how to tell if information, images and videos posted online might be fake.
You should seek out information online from a trustworthy source, such as major national or state media services and government websites. Ask yourself if quotes make sense or if they appear to miss the wider context, if the content seems believable, and if there is enough evidence and reasoning provided to justify claims or conclusions. Does the information shared expressly promote a political agenda or worldview?
When it comes to visual content shared online, check if photos look real or could have been altered using an app or software. You can also do a reverse image search through a platform like Google Images or TinEye to see if a photo appears elsewhere online with a different name, description or context.
False footage may have blurring, cropped effects or pixelation, or contain glitches, sections of lower quality or changes in the lighting and background. It might have badly synced or mismatching sound, or irregular blinking and movement that seems unnatural.
SBS News' Code of Practice obliges us not to knowingly mislead audiences in the presentation of factual material, and to apply reasonable efforts to ensure factual material is gathered and presented with due accuracy.
As the aftermath of the attack develops and more information comes to light, SBS News will continue to verify details through official channels such as the police and government.
— Alex Gallagher
Misinformation is false information that is spread without the intent of misleading others, and is often mistakenly shared by someone who believes the content to be accurate.
Disinformation is deliberately fabricated or misleading information shared by someone to deceive people or sway public opinion. That can become misinformation if widely distributed.
The eSafety Commissioner has advice on how to tell if information, images and videos posted online might be fake.
You should seek out information online from a trustworthy source, such as major national or state media services and government websites. Ask yourself if quotes make sense or if they appear to miss the wider context, if the content seems believable, and if there is enough evidence and reasoning provided to justify claims or conclusions. Does the information shared expressly promote a political agenda or worldview?
When it comes to visual content shared online, check if photos look real or could have been altered using an app or software. You can also do a reverse image search through a platform like Google Images or TinEye to see if a photo appears elsewhere online with a different name, description or context.
False footage may have blurring, cropped effects or pixelation, or contain glitches, sections of lower quality or changes in the lighting and background. It might have badly synced or mismatching sound, or irregular blinking and movement that seems unnatural.
SBS News' Code of Practice obliges us not to knowingly mislead audiences in the presentation of factual material, and to apply reasonable efforts to ensure factual material is gathered and presented with due accuracy.
As the aftermath of the attack develops and more information comes to light, SBS News will continue to verify details through official channels such as the police and government.
— Alex Gallagher
