Any breaking news story tends to attract false ‘eyewitness’ reports, and it is important to be vigilant when sharing such information.
Last night’s Nice attacks were followed by a number of untrue reports relating to alleged perpetrators, victims and more, as well as reports about a fire at the Eiffel Tower which were later debunked.
The same thing happened after the Paris attacks in 2015, and it has already begun in relation to the military coup in Turkey.
You may have seen a photo of tanks on the street, presented as the view of an eyewitness from their apartment window, but Checkdesk – a resource for verifying breaking news – has confirmed that the images are not from Turkey in 2016 but from Egypt five years ago.
This photo from Egypt 2011 *not* Turkey right now. pic.twitter.com/6WgJpsptYW
— Check (@checkdesk) July 15, 2016
Another photo doing the rounds purports to be from demonstrations in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, but has been sourced to Moroccan protests in 2015.
Again, this photo is not from the current events in Turkey, despite having been presented as such by more than one source.
https://twitter.com/ajreid/status/754077757093449728
Events in Ankara and Istanbul are changing by the minute, and legitimate eyewitness reports are sure to emerge throughout the next few hours, but some may prove to be false.
This is complicated further by the fact that contradictory versions of the ongoing situation are being reported by those on the ground.
Comments from Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım are at odds, in part, to those coming from those military forces thought to be behind the attempted coup.
With Anonymous issuing advice to those in Turkey who are unable to communicate via traditional social media, more updates – both verifiable and unverifiable – are sure to follow.
Expect fluid situation re: #TurkeyCoup: rumors, misleading statements from officials, etc. It’s going to be a long night.
— reported.ly (@reportedly) July 15, 2016
