1. Self-correcting mechanisms and echo-effects in social media: An analysis of the “gunman in the newsroom” crisis Wouter Jong (co-author Michel L. A. Dückers) w.jong@burgemeesters.nl | @WouterJong Download full article: www.tinyurl.com/icrc2016

2. Crisis in brief (1/3) January 29th 2015. A gunman enters the news studio just before 8 pm. He demands airtime at the 8 o’clock news. TV viewers are not aware of the situation.

3. Crisis in brief (2/3) No news broadcast at 8 pm, when the news normally starts. After a “breaking news” by the newswire, the situation becomes clear to the outside world. On twitter, the news reaches 550 tweets p/m.

4. Crisis in brief (3/3) Gunman is arrested around 8.14 pm. It is communicated by a breaking news update at 8.20 pm. Picture and a video of his arrest are shared later that evening. Broadcast resumes around 9 pm.

5. What we did. 59,931 tweets (from 7.40 pm to 2.00 am) 1.How did ‘breaking news’ spread on Twitter? 2.How were rumors constructed and debunked? 3.Can we identify online mood swings?

6. Breaking News 8.00 pm 8.07 pm8.20 pm8.14 pm GUNMAN ARRESTED Breaking news. Even after update of breaking news, old news from same source is being retweeted substantially.

7. Wrap up: echo effect on social media (Twitter) Old news echoes, even when updated by same source @WouterJong

8. VRT-rumor and MH17-rumor @WouterJong

9. Breaking News 8.00 pm 8.07 pm8.20 pm8.14 pm GUNMAN ARRESTED Tweet by @LavieJanRoos: ‘Most neutral evening news ever! Tweet by @Koendelaey to @LavieJanRoos: @LavieJanRoos Same counts for Flanders…

10. @WouterJong “News being disrupted in both The Netherlands and Belgium after attack of man with pistol #vrt #nos”

11. @WouterJong

12. Debunking the rumor: >Tineye.com: old image from other website >Old logo of VRT >“We can just watch VRT over here” >VRT evening news is at 7.00 pm (not 8.00 pm) >Removing a tweet by an influential @WouterJong

13. The MH17 rumor: >Started on Facebook on local newspaper page >Transfered to Twitter with sarcasm/irony “Yes. He comes from Pijnacker. Both his parents died in MH17. Hence, you want to have his address?” @WouterJong

14. The rumor: >But his parents are not on the passenger list of MH17 (fact check) leads to even more irony: “He was adopted…” @WouterJong

15. Wrap up: rumors on social media (Twitter) Start as misinterpreted humor (irony/sarcasm), unlike other rumors. Community tries to fact-check the rumors without government involvement. @WouterJong

16. Can we identify online mood swings? Anxiety as long as we do not know what is going on? Relief afterwards? @WouterJong

17. Breaking News Start evening news Message on screen ANP newswire: gunman ANP newswire: gunman arrested Arrestment Gunman enters studio 8.00 pm 8.07 pm 8.20 pm 8.14 pm 7.53 pm Business as usual Jokes about disruption Jokes by @freekjonge no longer appreciated. Anxiety. Expressive language at highest levels. Picture of gunman online 8.38 pm Cause is known. No info to fact check. Jokes about tv programme “The Mole” Collective fact checking

18. Wrap-up We found an echo-effect. Self-correcting mechanism exists. Easy fact check can be done by ‘the crowd’. Social media rumors were verified without government involvement. @WouterJong

19. Future research question. Similar online social mechanism or something else? @WouterJong

20. Download full article: www.tinyurl.com/ icrc2016