What’s real, what’s fake, what’s news: How to find + vet social media images

How to find newsworthy images on social media (not the ones of sharks swimming in floodwaters)

You’ll learn:

• A better understanding of why people share bogus images on social media
• A decision-making process to validate images, designed to eliminate guesswork and avoid embarrassing mistakes (and sharks swimming in floodwaters)

Speaker:
Steve Myers is editor of The Lens. Before joining the staff in 2012, Myers was managing editor of Poynter Online, the preeminent source of news and training about the journalism industry. At Poynter, he wrote about emerging media practices such as citizen journalism, nonprofit news sites, real-time reporting via social media, data-oriented news apps, iPhoneography, and the fact-checking movement. Six of his 10 years in newspapers were spent as a local government reporter in Mobile, Ala., where he focused on local government accountability, from jail management to hurricane preparation and response. He can be reached at (504) 298-9750.

• What to bring
Government-Issued ID Card

• Important to know
Once you arrive at the station, you will be asked for your ID. You will need to sign a waiver to enter the building.