Ask HN: What Is a 'Misinformation Reporter' | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What Is a 'Misinformation Reporter'

4 pointsgreenail5 comments

I was listening to BBC's global news podcast this morning and was somewhat surprised to hear a reporter describe themselves as a "climate misinformation reporter". Seems odd to me. Is this a new thing? NYT is hiring for this role https://talkingbiznews.com/biz-news-help-wanted/ny-times-seeks-misinformation-reporter-on-tech-desk/

'This is a beat that intersects with almost every part of the report, including media, politics, health and international, so an ability and willingness to collaborate is essential. A sense of humor is also required'

Not much mention of how a 'misinformation reporter' is different from a regular journalist.

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I'm assuming its like a "fact checker" but after the fact instead of before. As opposed to making up crap to support a narrative, these people will be defending the crap others have already made up.

Bet they'll have "Heresy Hunter" Tshirts.

But aren't all journalists supposed to be fact checkers? The idea seems redundant unless it is some admission that journalism has fundamentally changed.

Most journalists have specialties: sports, international affairs, economics, etc. Some get be quite specific. Reporters may specialize in the tech industry, or just on some narrow aspect of the tech industry (electric vehicles, social media, etc.)

Presumably a "climate misinformation reporter" is one whose assigned beat is misinformation about the climate. There are already reporters who specialize in climate change. Climate misinformation is a big subset of that -- what misinformation is spreading, how it's spreading, where it's coming from, why it's wrong.

Perhaps it's their full-time job, or perhaps it's just one of several hats they wear at the BBC. I'd be curious to know whether they associate their jobs more with the climate reporters or with social media reporters. Perhaps there's enough overlap that they needed to dedicate somebody to work with both.

Someone who finds what is false and combats it by reporting it as false. Normally a reporter would only produce what they see and hear, but the latter reports on only what is misinformation. Thus the combat against misinformation is not passive, but active.

There've been a few of these on the BBC for a while, I believe that the brief is reporting and fact-checking in areas where misinformation is common. Mostly concerning Covid to start, but they seem to be hanging around.

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