In the news: The Poynter Institute explores how misinformation is affecting journalists.

Social media has made it possible for fake news to proliferate at lightning speed. But the problem isn't just with social media users, writes Daniel Funke of Poynter org. Citating a study of over a thousand journalists by the Institute for the Future, he writes that "more than 80% of journalists admitted to falling for false information online" and that "only 14.9% of journalists surveyed said they had been trained on how to best report on misinformation."

So what can journalists do to fight the spread of fake news when they themselves are vulnerable to it? Perhaps most important, claims Samuel Woolley of Digital Intelligence Lab in Funke's article, is intensive training on how to verify information and spot misinformation.

Read more here.

Also Notable

Regaining Journalist Credibility after Missteps

The Poynter Institute's Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership has joined up with Newsweek to restore credibility after a rough year. In 2018, the weekly's "offices were raided by the Manhattan D.A., its editors publicly rebuked its parent company for interfering with their reporting and its former co-owner was indicted on fraud and money-laundering charges," summarizes Greg Dool of Foliomag.com. Essentially, he writes, "top editors were fired 'for doing their jobs.'" He reports that Poynter will work with Newsweek's editorial team. Read more about the partnership here.

TikTok: A New Social Media Frontier for Publishers?

TikTok, a social media app formerly known as Musical.ly, is presenting publishers with a platform for video content. Among those exploring the app are NBC News and ESPN. The jury is out on how lucrative a mode of content delivery it will be; monetization isn't yet possible, though Kerry Flynn of Digiday.com reports that "a biddable option for media buyers will be available in beta next week and to all this summer, per a buyer, and could open the door to more monetization options for publishers in the future." Read more here.

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