Social media and a case of mistaken identity: A newspaper’s response to journalistic error

Abstract

Journalists can obtain information faster than ever before and interact with a variety of sources across multiple platforms from Facebook to Twitter without leaving their desk. The pressure to get stories online as soon as possible is not without its drawbacks, however. Incorrect information and photographs can be published even when not properly verified and, although these mistakes can be rectified quickly once identified, the credibility of a news organisation is at risk. Our research was prompted by the chance capture of a photograph published in a daily newspaper that mistakenly identified a New Zealand-born Israeli soldier who was shot dead during a firefight in Gaza in 2014 as an American actor. This presented an opportunity to investigate and understand the challenges journalists face in sourcing information in the digital age. Our research takes a two-pronged approach. First, we establish what went wrong in the newsroom that led to this case of mistaken identity drawing public criticism and ridicule, and second, we analyse the editor’s apology to highlight the news organisation’s efforts to restore its image and regain the trust of its readers in the professionalism of its journalism.

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