Be careful folks…
It’s been a horrible few hours for the people of Manchester. 22 people lost their lives when an improvised explosive device was detonated outside of Manchester Arena.
The blast also left 59 others injured, some with life-threatening injuries.
While the man responsible was killed in the attack, police in Manchester have reportedly arrested a 23-year-old man in relation to Monday night’s attack which took place following an Ariana Grande concert.
As is always the way following a major event, social media was full of people appealing for information, offering help and sharing images of missing victims.
In the aftermath of such horrible circumstances like last night, there’s a lot of misinformation flying around on social media channels and sharing without thinking can lead to false stories and false images of missing victims being spread around to thousands of people.
Dan Walker from BBC, made an important statement this morning on BBC News that everyone should take note of when using social media in times of crisis.
BuzzFeed journalist Scott Bryan caught the moment on TV and shared it:
This is a very important point about social media today given by @mrdanwalker on BBC Breakfast. pic.twitter.com/aUG0y1P5uX
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 23, 2017
I love social media but it is a powerful tool that gives power to tools. Please use it wisely. https://t.co/MRtrawwaPa
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) May 23, 2017
Thanks for all your messages this morning. It's a story that we never wanted to cover but it means a lot that you feel we did it with care.
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) May 23, 2017
