Chapter 9: Creating a Verification Process and Checklist(s) Craig Silverman is an entrepreneurial journalist and the founder and editor of Regret the Error1, a Poynter Institute blog about media errors, accuracy and verification. He has also developed a course2 on digital age verification for the Poynter News University. Craig Silverman serves as director of content for Spundge3, a platform that enables professionals to grow and monetize their expertise through content. Craig Silverman previously helped launch OpenFile, an online news startup that delivered local reporting in six Canadian cities. He is the author of “Regret The Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech”, and his work has been recognized by the U.S. National Press Club, Mirror Awards, Crime Writers of Canada and National Magazine Awards (Canada). He tweets at @craigsilverman4. Rina Tsubaki leads and manages the “Verification Handbook5” and “Emergency Journalism6” initiatives at the European Journalism Centre7 in the Netherlands. Emergency Journalism brings together resources for media professionals reporting in and about volatile situations in the digital age, and Tsubaki has frequently spoken on these topics at events, including a U.N. meeting and the International Journalism Festival. Earlier, she managed several projects focusing on the role of citizens in the changing media landscape, and in 2011 she was the lead contributor of the Internews Europe’s report8 on the role of communication during the March 2011 Japan quake. She has also contributed to Hokkaido Shimbun, a regional daily newspaper in Japan. She tweets at @wildflyingpanda9. Verification Fundamentals • Put a plan and procedures in place for verification before disasters and breaking news occur. • Verification is a process. The path to verification can vary with each fact. • Verify the source and the content they provide. • Never parrot or trust sources whether they are witnesses, victims or authorities. Firsthand accounts can be inaccurate or manipulative, fueled by emotion or shaped by faulty memory or limited perspective. 97