‘Whether or not opinion columnists’ direst predictions come to fruition, it seems almost inevitable that newsrooms operating in a world of deepfakes will be forced to shoulder a heavy new burden.’
Balancing verification with timely reporting is getting tougher because of rising concerns about deepfakes, say three Harvard scholars.
The simple possibility of fakery is a reason for ‘an additional forensic burden.’ They suggest three tactics:
- More technical means of detection, for example, using emerging detection technologies internally, by collaborating with others, or using an outsourced service.
- More transparency in verification, for example, describing the methods used and ethical questions considered.
- Looking for ‘contextual clues,’ for example, if and how questionable material is portrayed in other media.
What should newsrooms do about deepfakes? These three things, for starters | NEIMANLAB | November 20, 2019 | by John Bowers, Tim Hwang, Jonathan Zittrain