certain situations, either because they work at an issue over time or because they are in the right (or wrong) place at the right time. Responsible crowdsourcing One thing that anyone, journalist or not, trying to collect and verify information during a crisis has to remember is that you are also a source of information for others, when using social media like Twitter or Facebook or Google Plus. That means any unsubstantiated information you post while you are doing your verification work could contribute to the confusion around the event. Keep that in mind while tweeting or posting details and looking for corroboration. The best approach is to be as open as possible about what is happening, and to repeatedly remind your followers or social connections that you are looking for help, not just circulating unconfirmed information. In order to prevent confusion, be as clear as possible about what you know and what you don’t know, and which pieces of information you need help confirming. With some kinds of sensitive or inflammatory details, you are better off trying to confirm through offline methods first before taking to social media or online methods. You may be careful to flag the information as “unconfirmed” or a rumor, but these flags can often disappear once they start to spread. We all have a responsibility to consider that reality, and to not add to confusion or misinformation in a crisis situation. The power of the crowd Algorithms and automated searches can generate a huge amount of content when it comes to breaking news events, as detailed in the next chapter. But arguably only human beings can sift through and make sense of that amount of content in an efficient way, in real time. As examples like Andy Carvin and Brown Moses have shown, by far the best tool for doing this is a network of trusted sources who are focused either on a specific topic area, or in a specific physical location - a network that you can use as your own crowdsourced newsroom. Entering into this kind of relationship with sources shouldn’t be taken lightly, however. It’s not just a tool or a process that allows you to do your job or complete a task faster and more efficiently - it’s a collaborative effort, and you should be prepared to give as much as you receive 75