Authenticating posts-Charly Stamps

Posted on by Charly Stamps

Word Count: 282

An article appeared on my Facebook Newsfeed posted from Forbes with a hyperlink to, “CBS CEO Les Moonves Steps Down and Misses Out on $100M after 6 More Women Come Forward.” The first step I took in authenticating this Facebook post was clicking directly on the post and being redirected to the Forbes page. The first tell-all sign that this information came from a reputable source was the little blue check mark next to Forbes. A feature relatively new to Facebook is a small information symbol attached to each post. Once clicked on, this feature directs the viewer to a popup with information about the website. This tool provided me with basic information about Forbes and its history. This information helped establish this post as coming from a reputable source. Next, I clicked directly on the article  which brought me to the official Forbes website. The website allows you to easily gather information on the author and their past posts. Through my investigative research on the authenticity of this Facebook post, I was able to confidently believe the story was factual and legitimate.

 

I then took to Twitter where I found two tweets related to this issue of Les Moonves resignation. The first was tweeted directly by CBS. I concluded that this tweet was authentic by its admin and verification check mark. Additionally, the CBS Twitter page links directly to CBSNews.com and vice versa. That and their volume of followers lead me to believe it is a reliable source.

 

The second tweet I came across was posted by the Los Angeles Times. I went through a similar process of authenticating this Tweet as I did with the CBSNews and Forbes Facebook post.

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