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Myanmar Faces Allegations of Genocide
A United Nations report in September alleged Myanmar security forces had engaged in arson, rape and killings that forced more than 730,000 people to flee for Bangladesh. The countless Rohingya Muslims that remain in Myanmar face the threat of genocide. At a recent International Court of Justice hearing, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi defended her country's government against the allegations of genocide. Timothy Horner, a professor at Villanova's Center for Peace and Justice Education with a focus on genocide, said it is not new for leaders to defend their countries against charges of atrocity, even genocide. However, it is new to have that leader be a Nobel Prize winner. "Aung San Suu Kyi was given the award in 1999 while she was under house arrest in Myanmar," says Horner. "She was released in 2010 and rose to become the de facto leader of Myanmar since 2016. Her contention is that the West has been duped by 'fake news.' It is mystifying to many international observers to see her turn from an activist for democracy and open government to a nationalistic defender of the Myanmar military. But her willingness to represent Myanmar at the ICC [International Criminal Court] has only increased her already booming popularity within the country." "Since 2017, satellite imagery, video footage and numerous reports from the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing the country have catalogued a long list of structured ethnic violence, ethnic cleansing and perhaps even genocidal actions taken against this beleaguered ethnic Muslim group. These have allegedly been carried out by the Myanmar military in operations that have been widely supported not only by Myanmar civilians, but also by radical Buddhist monks who see in the Rohingya an existential threat to Myanmar's national security. "There have been deaths on both sides, but the dozens of deaths at the hands of the Rohingya are dwarfed by the tens of thousands of deaths that have come at the hands of the military and vigilante groups in the region. Nearly 750 thousand Rohingya have fled the country since 2017. Many are still stranded in camps on the border in Bangladesh. They have no recourse to the courts in Myanmar because they are not considered citizens by any government. The international community has seen this coming for a long time, but the presence of Suu Kyi has added an ironic twist to the proceeding." Horner says it's very hard to prove genocide—and that it will take time. "It will take years. Individual generals could be imprisoned. Architects as well. It is very hard to prove genocide. It's only been done a few times. Proving genocide is all about intention. You have to prove that the intention behind the actions is designed to destroy the group. Leaders have gotten better at hiding their tracks. But it's possible to work back from the action, but problematic. They have to eliminate every possible intention, leaving only genocide."
With 2018 in full swing there’s no sign that the issue of fake news is going away. In fact, it continues to plague major social platforms such as Facebook as well as the traditional media players. This erosion of trust begs the question – how can we ensure the right experts on important topics are at the center of the conversation? If your organization has experts, there is a silver lining. There has never been a more important time for experts – the real ones – not the “fake it till you make it” collection of posers and promoters that have read a blog on personal branding. We’re talking about the people who have put in their 10,000 hours of researching, building and publishing. Presenting your top people in a more visible, engaging and approachable way presents huge opportunities for you to build trust and deepen relationships with a variety of audiences, including customers and partners – not just the media. However, to really capitalize, you have to look closely at how audiences interact with your expert content. Based on our work with thousands of experts and their organizations, we’ve prepared a list of key trends and predictions you need to watch if you’re a communications and digital media professional. Trend 1: Organizations are measuring their “Internal Bench Strength”. The power behind any organization is its people, but many organizations fall short in taking stock of their roster of experts who are capable of building voice and reputation with key audiences. Communicators are increasingly turning to internal pulse surveys and annual assessments that better identify competencies, professional interests and attitudes across the organization. Smart organizations are using surveys to create an efficient roster of internal experts and match them to the news cycle. Identifying a “core group” of go-to experts who will best benefit from programs such as media training and carefully mapping key topics to experts will ensure the organization is aligned to support communications objectives – both for proactive story development and responding quickly to breaking news opportunities. Trend 2: Organizations are starting to function more like newsrooms. As newsrooms in the print and broadcast world continue to be streamlined and downsized, organizations can play a key role in helping journalists by making relevant content and credible sources more accessible. Incorporating better search features that allow journalists to quickly find experts using simple keyword searches is an important starting point. Showcasing experts in the context of key news events in a content hub with interesting story angles are increasing in popularity Trend 3: Next generation newsroom platforms will change how media find expert sources. Journalists have a challenging role today amidst a backdrop of fake news and increasing cynicism about the credibility and sources of information. They still have the same day deadlines, but with an increased responsibility to get the story right, so reliable sources are critical to their success. So it’s not surprising that journalists, television bookers and producers are gravitating to solutions that make it easier for them to discover, evaluate and connect with expert sources. We recently integrated our ExpertFile global directory into the Associated Press newsroom software which is used by thousands of print, broadcast and digital newsrooms around the world. The AP, as the world’s leading news organization, recognizes the pressures that publishers and broadcasters are under. They are committed to technology advances that help news organizations. Few journalists have the time to rummage around in poorly designed corporate websites and university faculty directories looking for the best expert. And if you think it’s just junior reporters using these online tools think again. We’re seeing seasoned journalists from top media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, NBC, The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR Radio and the CBC making regular use of the ExpertFile platform. The bottom line: If you aren’t thinking about broader distribution of your expert content beyond your website you are missing out. Trend 4: New search technologies are helping organizations cut through the content clutter. Searching for the right person based on attributes such as key topics, publications, or geography inside an organization remains a challenge – even for those organizations that have invested heavily in content management solutions and intranet platforms. The organic and onsite search user experience has become a top issue for marketing and IT teams. Audiences who have been spoiled by “Google-like simplicity” expect to find relevant information, or they’re gone within seconds. That’s why many organizations are investing in new search technologies powered by machine learning to provide faster discovery and connections with their subject-matter experts. Last year we built Elasticsearch features right into our platform to save our clients the time and money of doing this for themselves. Search remains one of the biggest opportunities to quickly drive more market attention and audience engagement, as well as to improve internal collaboration between experts. Trend 5: Video will continue to outperform all other forms of content. There’s nothing quite like video to drive the value of owned content. But remember that video is becoming essential to boosting earned media. We’re continually impressed by the new research that continues to emerge on the power of video content. Last fall, LinkedIn reported audience engagement numbers for its new video feed feature that showed 20 times more engagement for video vs. all other forms of content on its platform. As more audiences demand video content, so does the demand in television newsrooms for broadcast-ready experts. That’s why we also partnered with Dejero to help broadcasters who use their platform to search for experts suitable for interviews. If you are looking to get more television coverage, then you have to invest some of your budget on video to showcase your experts. We predict that the most successful organizations will adopt a video-centric approach to storytelling, creating snackable multimedia content that connects with a range of audiences. Many marketers are overthinking video as something requiring a massive production with a big annual shoot”. That doesn’t work for audiences such as journalists who are feeding a real-time news cycle. Our simple advice – look carefully at your video strategy and identify opportunities to use video across your digital properties in areas such as your homepage, media room and even landing pages. We’re interested to hear how your organization is capitalizing on these trends to better promote your experts to key audiences. For more information on how ExpertFile can help your organization incorporate the latest software and services innovations into your thought leadership and expert marketing strategies please drop us a line at dtaenzer@expertfile.com.
Working with Faculty Experts to Build Reputation and Market Visibility
The Baylor University Playbook Featured in CASE Currents Magazine PHOTO CREDIT: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS As traditional and social media organizations such as Facebook race to expose and disrupt the onslaught of “fake news”, a major opportunity exists for higher education institutions to more prominently feature their research and expert opinion to quell this steady flow of misinformation. We know that the gold standard of news reports and social media posts are substantiated with expert research and opinion. What gets in the way of comprehensive reporting and dialogue? It’s often the lack of input from great institutions and their experts. More than ever, traditional media organizations need to provide a steady flow of credible information to trump the influx of unsubstantiated content. But the media (from local mainstream editors to award-winning international investigative journalists) struggle with big challenges: growing editorial demands, small budgets, little time, limits to accessing information – all restricting their ability to pursue new research, data and expertise. So how do they get around this and cut through the clutter? A lot of the responsibility falls on organizations to be more approachable to journalists to help them with expert sources. Schools doing this well are already boosting their reputation with media and other key audiences by showing the relevance of their institution and faculty. In this month’s CASE Currents magazine, a feature article titled “Are Your Professors Ready for Their Close-Up?” Eric Eckert, Baylor University’s Assistant Director of Media Communications and Faculty Development, shares with other institutions the process his team took to prepare its faculty experts for the media spotlight with an in-house training program and the necessary tools to succeed. the Baylor playbook is a great read for any organization looking to boost media coverage and build reputation. Eckert, whose list of responsibilities at the university includes “Faculty Experts”, notes: “We demonstrate our commitment to this program by investing in tools that spread awareness of our researchers’ work. In addition to the time we devote to training and promoting our faculty members, in 2017 our office started using ExpertFile, a content marketing platform that includes the capability to create dynamic faculty profiles that expose our professors to a wider audience of journalists. We can also manage media inquiries through the platform. The software has reduced the time we spend updating faculty profiles. We can quickly add photos, videos, and links to an expert’s media hits and create faculty spotlights—a feature that helps us rapidly promote a professor’s expertise to take advantage of breaking news.” ExpertFile worked with Baylor to develop a searchable platform and content placements for their experts integrated into the Baylor website. To extend the reach beyond the website, Its experts are now also synchronized with the ExpertFile global experts directory and are also visible to thousands of newsrooms throughout the world through our partnerships with the Associated Press and Dejero. Eckert goes on to explain his organization’s use and success with ExpertFile Spotlight. Spotlight is a unique content hub solution that is growing in popularity with marketing teams looking to quickly feature their experts in the context of breaking news, emerging stories, valuable research and newsworthy events. Virtually all of our clients are seeing the importance of providing relevant story angles that can be produced to help journalists on same day deadlines. Eckert goes on to speak of his experience with Spotlights: “In September 2017, we created a spotlight to distribute a Baylor law professor’s comments on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw authorization for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A media inquiry received through ExpertFile resulted in a guest appearance on a nationally syndicated radio program in Canada.” Other coverage generated recently by the Baylor team includes: Are you ‘phubbing’ right now? What it is and why science says it’s bad for your relationships The Washington Post You might be cheating on your spouse with your smartphone The Toronto Star Four bad habits that executives should nix The Economist Can ‘bedtime’ teas really help you fall asleep faster? Women’s Health The better way to take a break Fast Company The profile that experts develop through thought out programs such as Baylor’s can extend well beyond media to other key stakeholders, including potential research partners, funders, event organizers, student enrollment and employee recruitment. How are your marketing, communications and media relations’ teams working with your experts across the campus to build market visibility and reputation for your institution? We’d like to know. For more information on how ExpertFile Spotlight works or to read more success stories please drop me a line at Deanne Taenzer at dtaenzer@expertfile.com
Building a Gateway to Real News in Broadcast Journalism
Long gone are the days when local media were held up as the first and final word on current affairs. It’s safe to say, the world has never experienced such a period of widespread participation in the news generating process. At the same time, we’ve never seen a more prolific inundation of content and voices from so many corners, all striving to reflect their two cents in the final story. This has also resulted in some of our most credible voices with relevant stories struggling to be heard. Why is that? The train may have left the station, but there is a more effective track it can follow before it’s too late. Video defines the news agenda One of the most formative trends we are now witnessing is the exponential increase in the amount of video created by local and national news outlets around the world, as well as mainstream contributors – from the general public, to corporations, and interest groups – who are producing video content at a staggering rate. The quality of this content is left to the creator’s standards. In this era of fake news, there has never been a more critical need in broadcast news for credible sources. Experts: Undiscovered or inaccessible? Many respected organizations (from research institutions and higher education to think tanks and private sector organizations) maintain significant stockpiles of critical and timely expertise – like research, analysis, and raw data – with which they are challenged to cut through the noise to get into the hands of those who need it. Broadcast media at all levels, from local to international, continue to play a critical role in getting these stories out. But many legitimate media outlets are facing financial burden and an onslaught of competition for audience against a growing field of alternative news sources. Ironically, current editorial and newsgathering processes even for the most mature media organizations remain cumbersome. Reporters’ search for information and sources in the field increases as their own numbers dwindle by the day. As credible news sources continue to battle unqualified viral content, the question remains: What can we do to make real news easier, faster and cheaper to create and deliver? Building a gateway to credible sources The secret may just lie in making credible information, broadcast-ready expert sources, and relevant stories more immediately accessible to media. Today, ExpertFile and Dejero announced that we are partnering to enhance broadcast newsroom access to credible expert sources by making the ExpertFile directory available through Dejero’s LIVE+ Control management system, which leading broadcasters around the world are now using to capture and distribute high quality live news feeds. We’re at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show in Las Vegas this week demonstrating this powerful integration with Dejero. Experts on over 25,000 topics will be discoverable directly from the Dejero control panel in newsrooms all over the world. For us, it’s about helping journalists more easily pursue compelling, timely news stories by connecting them to those credible, broadcast-ready experts. We are focused on building a gateway to the people, content and story ideas that can help define and respond to today’s news agenda. By building the world’s leading search engine and content platform for experts, we’re opening a new chapter with partners such as Dejero to build the bridges and channels to distribute this content to those who need it now…and fast! Already the response we’re getting from some of the biggest broadcast networks in the world here at NAB2017 is very encouraging. But there’s much more work to be done to help this industry. We look forward to some great conversations. If you are at NAB, please drop by the Dejero booth and say hi or drop us a line.
In this Era of Fake News and Alternate FactsExperts are King
There’s nothing new about fake news. Satirical media outlets such as The Onion have been around for a decade giving us a good laugh. But somewhere in the past 12 months, something changed for the worse. The wool that was being pulled over people’s eyes wasn’t so obvious anymore. Satire and bad humour were replaced by visceral accusations, conspiracies, and smear campaigns. How did we get to this point, and what can be done to stem the tide? A sure sign that we had a problem was a development that was apparent in the last presidential election. New voices were on the national scene branding our traditional media outlets as biased, and elitist. We saw the phrase “mainstream media” become a bigger part of the conversation. Now we have to contend with “fake news.” Unlike traditional journalism fake news outlets deliberately spew wrong information. In an effort to get a story out, mistakes will happen. But in the world of fake news there is no retraction or correction of these mistakes — even when they are exposed as blatantly untrue. Further damage ensues when social media then acts as an enabler as fake news articles get amplified to millions of people, who are clicking away, feeding advertising revenues to these publishers. No matter what your political stripe or where you stood regarding the recent US election, fake news was rampant on both sides spreading false information, invoking anger, and deceiving the public. More recently, a fresher version of fake news has emerged as “Alternate Facts.” A term made famous by Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway as she defended the statements made by Press Secretary Sean Spicer who lectured and insisted that the crowd present for President Trump’s swearing-in was “the largest audience ever to It seems that the whole nature of the game has changed almost overnight. Even the White House press gallery isn’t immune to these developments. This week’s Saturday Night Live sketch brilliantly sums up the aversive relationship that we’re seeing develop between the media and the new administration. (Note: For the record, the photo at the bottom is NOT a C-SPAN broadcast. It’s a comedy sketch. It did not really happen. This is NOT Sean Spicer in the photo below — it’s an actor portrayal). Perhaps most ironic for me is how believable fake news can appear to be. A friend of mine, a former investigative journalist commented that “given the outright absurdity of the actual “real” news cycle,” it’s getting hard for people to sort fact from fiction.” Perhaps this says as much about society as it does about media. So Where Does All This Leave Us? Some say the solution is as simple as removing the bias from our news media. The problem is, I know quite a few (real) journalists and they are serious about reporting facts. They work in newsrooms and report the news, they tell stories, but gathering and checking facts are what define them. As they work to a set of professional standards and deliver real information. However, we’re witnessing a massive change in the way that ideas are shaped and communicated to the public. Sadly, the traditional avenues of information flow and the mutual respect that even democratic nation states have had with the media appears to be eroding. There is also a disturbing undercurrent of thought that traditional news organizations are biased, and every outlet is always serving a hidden agenda. Recent events have prompted the need for news organizations to brief their journalists on how to govern themselves in these very “interesting times.” John Daniszewski, Vice President for Standards for Associated Press in a recent blog post called for clarity regarding the definition of the so-called “alt-right.” “We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them,” writes Daniszewski. Other news organizations are looking at recent events and taking the opportunity to internally brief their journalists. In a recent message to staff, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler wrote about covering President Trump the Reuters way: “The first 12 days of the Trump presidency (yes, that’s all it’s been!) have been memorable for all — and especially challenging for us in the news business. It’s not every day that a U.S. president calls journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth” or that his chief strategist dubs the media “the opposition party.” It’s hardly surprising that the air is thick with questions and theories about how to cover the new Administration. So what is the Reuters answer? To oppose the administration? To appease it? To boycott its briefings? To use our platform to rally support for the media? All these ideas are out there, and they may be right for some news operations, but they don’t make sense for Reuters. We already know what to do because we do it every day, and we do it all over the world. To state the obvious, Reuters is a global news organization that reports independently and fairly in more than 100 countries, including many in which the media is unwelcome and frequently under attack. We don’t know yet how sharp the Trump administration’s attacks will be over time or to what extent those attacks will be accompanied by legal restrictions on our news-gathering. But we do know that we must follow the same rules that govern our work anywhere.” Adler goes on to provide a set of rules for the Reuters team that I think are very wise, especially given the current environment. Do’s: Cover what matters in people’s lives and provide them the facts they need to make better decisions. Become ever-more resourceful: If one door to information closes, open another one. Give up on hand-outs and worry less about official access. They were never all that valuable anyway. Our coverage of Iran has been outstanding, and we have virtually no official access. What we have are sources. Get out into the country and learn more about how people live, what they think, what helps and hurts them, and how the government and its actions appear to them, not to us. Keep the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles close at hand, remembering that “the integrity, independence and freedom from bias of Reuters shall at all times be fully preserved.” Don’ts: Never be intimidated, but: Don’t pick unnecessary fights or make the story about us. We may care about the inside baseball but the public generally doesn’t and might not be on our side even if it did. Don’t vent publicly about what might be understandable day-to-day frustration. In countless other countries, we keep our own counsel so we can do our reporting without being suspected of personal animus. We need to do that in the U.S., too. Don’t take too dark a view of the reporting environment: It’s an opportunity for us to practice the skills we’ve learned in much tougher places around the world and to lead by example — and therefore to provide the freshest, most useful, and most illuminating information and insight of any news organization anywhere. Winning back the public trust — Why Experts Matter Perhaps a way to help reverse this trend is to ask more of our experts within our organizations, and get them to contribute more to these important conversations. It’s about getting our academics, physicians, professionals, and leaders in their respective fields to contribute more to help the media present a more balanced set of perspectives in ways that engage the public. In this new era, it appears that many experts are invisible to the media on a range of big issues such as climate change, economic data, security, crime and healthcare policy. Opinions — not always informed opinions — are taken as fact. People without qualifications are being asked to speak on topics that require years of study, research, and experience. This is why, now more than ever, we need to see a return of intelligence and knowledge to present true facts. Credible Experts Matter Credible sources are vital in helping ensure the proper degree of research has been done. Published work, peer-reviewed studies, as well as policy that has been developed and practised all play key roles in determining an actual expert. Proven credibility cuts through rhetoric. It promotes the delivery and flow of facts as opposed to feeding only one side of a debate. Being Approachable Matters We have to agree that the current sentiment that many have toward traditional institutions and their experts is that they are not providing enough practical information of benefit to the public. The term “ivory tower” comes up frequently to describe environments such as universities and think tanks. While we need these environments of intellectual pursuit they cannot be seen as disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life. Transparency Matters Do you know where your information is actually coming from? The flow of money into the development of fake news and so-called “experts” who are pushing agendas is tremendous. We’ve seen it recently with the sugar industry — much like the tobacco industry who literally wrote the book on manipulating and re-wrapping expertise and research in the middle of the last century — setting ideas on nutrition back decades. The market is crying out for a more consistent way to discover and evaluate the credibility of experts. We need a quick and trusted way to review their education, background, publications as well as their affiliations. We need to be able to conduct a front-line background check before we give them the platform to share their perspectives on television, radio, or in print. We need to vet the expert before they reach an audience that relies on the information being communicated to form opinions and make critical decisions that affect their lives. Local News Matters Local media is shrinking. Newsrooms are currently being threatened by constant shifts in both consumption and business models. If we are to promote accurate information and win the war on actual facts, we must make it easier for local journalists to do their jobs. Mainstream media still carries a lot of weight, especially online and television where the nightly news reaches a massive audience. Though the ratings are large, the subject matter doesn’t always resonate with viewers at home. We need to do a much better job helping local media get better access to the experts in our organisations so they can localise issues and tell stories, and do it in ways that everyone can understand. For example, a story on national unemployment numbers has a different context in San Francisco than it does in Flint, Michigan. Climate change is impacting Miami a lot differently than it is in the Great Lake states. In the end, all news is local. Speed Matters News is increasingly a speed game. With social media, a 24-hour news cycle, and the race to be first, time is of the essence. But in this game, haste may not only make waste, the truth may be a casualty as well. Most recently Fox News reported on a violent shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada. Six people were killed by a lone gunman. Fox News reported that the suspect was of Moroccan origin — that was false. The shooter was in fact of Canadian origin. It wasn’t until the Canadian Prime Minister’s office requested a retraction that Fox walked the story back…but it took almost two full days. In true Canadian fashion, Kate Purchase, Communications Director for Prime Minister Trudeau thanked Fox News. In the meantime, wrong information was shared across multiple platforms and seen by millions of people. This is when having your experts prepared, media-trained, and trusted internally to speak with media is key. In times of emergency and chaos, it may be the words, advice and perspective of a high-level expert that can calm a nervous public, or at the very least, clearly explain a situation and its outcomes with accuracy and trust. So Why Should This Matter to You? If you are focused on building your market visibility and brand reputation, making your organization’s experts more discoverable and responsive to media is as much a function of good public relations as it is a public service. In these days of fake news, alternate facts, and unclear agendas, an unbiased and objective point of view presented by a credible expert may be one of the few remaining pillars of integrity we have left. Experts bring credibility, reliability, and an elevated level of perspective and advice that the public can trust. It’s up to all of us to ensure our thought leaders rise above the fray and help rebuild the trust that is essential to building a civil society. How is your organization working with its experts to respond to these challenges? I’m particularly interested in speaking with communications and media relations professionals in higher education, healthcare and professional services as our team conducts more research in this area. Let us know what you think by sharing below. I read every comment.
Confronting the Fake News Phenomenon with Credibility
Fake news is suddenly big news. A quick browse this morning and the topic is featured in articles and stories in The Guardian, CNN, Forbes, Reuters, iPolitics and The New York Times. Explaining fake news, finding its source, its effectiveness and how to counter it are all top of mind priorities for journalists, politicians and even technology leaders. Fake news is eroding the trust the public has in its leaders and media and something must be done soon. We need to see a return of intelligence and knowledge to present true facts. In this new era, issues such as climate change, economic data, security, crime and healthcare policy -people without qualifications are being asked to speak on topics that require years of study, research, and experience. Opinions — not always informed opinions — are taken as fact. To reverse this trend, institutions need to work with the media to present a more balanced set of perspectives. We need to see academics, physicians, professionals, and leaders in their respective fields contribute more to these big conversations. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. ExpertFile is the world's first marketing platform and search engine for expert content. The company specializes in providing media access to thought leaders and thousands of experts who are objective, credible and whose opinions are sought and respected worldwide. Now more than ever – the public needs trustworthy sources of accurate and unbiased information. Peter Evans is the CEO and Co-founder of ExpertFile. His experience and expertise has made him a leader in the realms of innovation, marketing and digital software. He is a respected speaker and a sought-out panelist for technology, marketing and innovation events throughout the world. Peter is available to speak to media regarding fake news and how technology companies are fighting back. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:
Terrorist attacks on home soil – let our expert help if you are covering
It was another deadly attack in London, England as a 28-year-old man, known to authorities went on a rampage in broad daylight on the London bridge. “It had previously been speculated that the attack may have been revenge for the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Khan was shot and killed by armed police after he stabbed two people to death and wounded three others while wearing a fake suicide vest on London Bridge. The attacker, who was jailed in 2012 for his role in an al Qaeda-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange, had first been tackled and disarmed by a group of brave bystanders on the bridge.” November 30 – The Daily Mail The attack has many in Europe and America on edge, especially as the holiday season approaches. But what can be done? Is there any tried and true remedy for protecting against domestic terrorism? Are these attacks actually affiliated or just copy-cat incidents? And as countries begin considering repatriating former soldiers from Syria and the Middle East, will this only add fuel to the fire of concerns? There are a lot of questions to be asked – and if you are a reporter covering this topic, let our experts help with your coverage. Dr. Glen Duerr's research interests include domestic and international terrorism, comparative politics, and international relations theory. Glen is available to speak to media regarding this topic– simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Impeachment and what follows? Let our experts help if you are covering!
For President Donald Trump…he’s living in interesting times. There’s an irony to that statement, as the so-called Chinese proverb ‘May you live in interesting times’ which has been purported as a centuries old curse on the English has no actual source or history. It too is fake news. But painfully accurate in these times of political turmoil in Washington. What’s not fake is the talks of impeachment. The issue has traction and it looks as if the first steps of the process will soon move forward. The President and his supporters are digging in and pushing back. This will be an issue that dominates the headlines for months, if not longer. It may even stretch into the election cycle for 2020. There will be results, consequences and reactions each step along the way. The President has even indicated the division will be akin to civil war. While not likely, the splitting of the American voter will deepen and it will be interesting to see, once all the dust has settled, who benefits at the ballot box in 2020. If you are a reporter covering this topic – that’s where our experts can help. Mark Caleb Smith is the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University. Mark is available to speak with media regarding Trump, impeachment and the upcoming election. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
How to talk to your family about fake news
A recent segment hosted by ABC’s “The Debrief” examined fake news and how older generations are influenced by its use, with Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Naeemah Clark offering her insights. During the Aug. 2 show, Clark joined host Kimberly Brooks by video to discuss how to talk to your family about understanding what is and is not fake news. Specifically, the segment addressed why old generations more frequently share inaccurate news than other demographics. According to Clark, this trend is the result of the exponential growth in news media since the mid- to late-20th century. “In previous generations, the news … was trusted and it was believed because that is what they had,” Clark said during the interview. “There were three channels … and the 6 o’clock news was what you trusted, what you were dependent on. Now that there are so many more sources, it is more difficult" … to identify what is truthful. Watch the entire segment here. If Dr. Clark can assist with your reporting about these complex immigration issues, please reach out to Owen Covington, director of the Elon University News Bureau, at ocovington@elon.edu or (336) 278-7413. Dr. Clark is available for phone, email and broadcast interviews.
A closer look at deepfakes. Let our experts explain if there’s a reason to worry.
Deepfakes…they’re eerie, entertaining and getting a lot of attention. Deepfake videos are made using artificial intelligence technology which can manipulate someone's face in a video to make it look like they are saying something that they didn't. It's one level up from dubbing, or lip syncing, and can appear very convincing. One example is a video that was made using footage of Mark Zuckerburg in 2017; it was doctored and falsely portrays the Facebook CEO discussing how he had stolen data. – The Sun, June 26 The new concept is all the rage and has seen people spoofed, mocked and tricked. But as once again technology outpaces legislation and with an election approaching, deepfakes have some people going off the deep end. Every day, thousands of videos are posted online, which means that any potential filtering program would need to be able to quickly and efficiently detect fake content. Even then, such media would likely be removed only after being published, meaning that the video would likely have already had an impact. For these reasons, deepfakes are expected to contribute to the upcoming 2020 election in the United States, likely acting as an agent of spreading fake news. However, Edward Delp, a Purdue University professor who developed a computer program to help detect these videos, believes deepfakes pose a bigger threat. “Deepfakes pose a threat to more than just political videos,” he said. “It can be used in making fake child pornography, revenge porn and financial bribes. Just general criminal behavior.” – The Exponent (Purdue University), June 21 As deepfakes become more common on social media and the internet, odds are they will make their way – accidentally or not – into the actual media. And as America still battles with the fake news phenomenon, will Deepfakes further erode our trust in media and our leaders? As deepfakes become more common on social media and the internet, odds are they will make their way into the actual media. So, what can be done? How will these deepfakes affect the perception of news media? What simple advice can we apply to verify if something is real or fake? And do these videos represent a threat to democracy, as some experts are saying? Dr. Gregg R. Murray, professor of political science at Augusta University, is available to talk about the implications of this new threat. Murray’s research focuses on political behavior and psychology with specific interests in voter mobilization and turnout. He is also executive director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences.
