Just came across this on Twitter. Looks like it just launched. So far the only way to submit rumors (really not the most descriptive phrase, IMO) or sources to follow is through email.
"Emergent is a real-time rumor tracker. It's part of a research project with the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University that focuses on how unverified information and rumor are reported in the media. It aims to develop and best practices for debunking misinformation."
I particularly like seeing the article shares over time as stories develop. Maker's twitter @craigsilverman
@stttories Thanks for getting us on Product Hunt! As you note, right now we do ask people to submit rumors by email. We intend to evolve that aspect, and to also buildout how people could crowdsource rumor identification and verification. I'd love to hear any ideas, and feedback on what you see.
@erictwillis Good Q! We look for the authoritative source(s) of a claim and then wait for those to weigh in. For example, with the JamesFoley beheading video, we waited until the family and President Obama confirmed the authenticity of the video. So it depends on the claim, but as I note on our blog, we have a bias to be patient and not rush to judgement: http://emergentinfo.tumblr.com/p...
@craigsilverman are you also developing data/infographics based on the rumored information? E.g. Rumor comes out about a disease spreading, and you might develop a graphic/table that shows the likelihood of that disease spreading and compare to rumor. (Think Politifact for fact checking of rumors, with added data for display)
@grmeyer Hey Greg! Right now each rumor page is very visual and data-driven. Here's an example: http://www.emergent.info/jong-un.... But if I understand your point correctly, you're asking if we might be able to offer projections or probabilities about the likelihood of a given rumor coming true. We do have plans to use the data we collect to run tests and models to work towards offering projections. We also intend to use the data we gather about specific news sites to offer some form of scoring on their record over time. But all that to say: we intend to keep our focus on data-driven storytelling, and to build that out over time. So I'd love to any other suggestions of things you'd like to see.
Emergent
Startup TV
Emergent
Startup TV
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