The Dorian dolphin pic & the reality of fake news
Bottom Line: Earlier this week, when we were all waiting to see what our fate with Dorian would be, something that’s become the norm during storms happened again. The fake photo. From sharks to dolphins it’s all been done before but that doesn’t stop people from biting. Maybe it’s the feeling of vulnerability during a hurricane, maybe it’s naivety that still exists with many but this just in. Hurricanes don’t suck sharks and dolphins out of the water. Breaking news. But here’s the thing... In less than a day it was liked and retweeted nearly a million times on Twitter. On Facebook the estimated reach was into the millions. Disproportionately those people were in Florida, as Floridians searched for Dorian content.
The actual photo (which has been used in multiple hurricanes now), uses a BBC photo from Hurricane Frances with photo shopped dolphins added during hurricane Matthew by a parody site. What’s that saying about fool me twice? I mean not to impugn, if this happens to be you, but I was being asked if it was real during coverage.
If a photo of flying dolphins can be used and reused to trick millions time and again during hurricanes – is it any wonder at all why so many fall for fake news? People generally joke about the Nigerian emailer who’ll make you rich but there’s a reason those emails still exist. Someone’s still falling for them. Whether it’s flying hurricane dolphins, Nigerian emailers or whatever’s next – start here. Consider the source. If you don’t know the source assume it’s fake unless proven otherwise. If you’re not familiar with the source, assume they’re fake until proven otherwise. If it’s CNN – well, you get the idea.