via The Washington Post by Abby Ohlheiser
Viral hoaxes are an unfortunate, and permanent, part of how we experience tragedy online. In the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas — the deadliest in modern U.S. history — trolls spread hoaxes and misinformation, as they always do in moments like this, hoping to briefly go viral.
Often, this misinformation takes advantage of the good intentions of those who share it: One of the most popular types of shooting hoaxes involves posting a photograph of a stranger, friend or enemy and claiming that the person pictured has been missing since the shooting. It happened many times after the attack in Manchester, England, at an Ariana Grande concert. People share these tweets thinking that they’re doing something to help.
- There are some clues you can look for before sharing a tweet.
- Take a look at the user’s Twitter history and the replies to that tweet before sharing because often, a fake viral tweet has a bunch of replies noting that it’s fake.
The complete story here > A running list of viral hoaxes and misinformation about the Las Vegas shooting