[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.64,0:00:03.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've been a journalist now since I was about 17,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.26,0:00:06.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's an interesting industry to be in at the moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.82,0:00:09.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because as you all know, there's a huge amount of upheaval
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.15,0:00:11.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,going on in media, and most of you probably know this
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.63,0:00:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the business angle, which is that the business model
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.86,0:00:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is pretty screwed, and as my grandfather would say,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.80,0:00:20.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the profits have all been gobbled up by Google.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.51,0:00:22.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's a really interesting time to be a journalist,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.86,0:00:25.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the upheaval that I'm interested in is not on the output side.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.94,0:00:29.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's on the input side. It's concern with
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.04,0:00:31.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we get information and how we gather the news.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.53,0:00:34.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's changed, because we've had a huge shift
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.60,0:00:36.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the balance of power from
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.84,0:00:38.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the news organizations to the audience.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.86,0:00:41.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the audience for such a long time was in a position
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.07,0:00:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where they didn't have any way of affecting news
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.76,0:00:46.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or making any change. They couldn't really connect.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.03,0:00:47.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's changed irrevocably.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.51,0:00:50.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My first connection with the news media was
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.40,0:00:54.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 1984, the BBC had a one-day strike.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.21,0:00:57.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wasn't happy. I was angry. I couldn't see my cartoons.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.50,0:01:00.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I wrote a letter.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.04,0:01:02.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's a very effective way of ending your hate mail:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.89,0:01:05.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Love Markham, Aged 4." Still works.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.98,0:01:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not sure if I had any impact on the one-day strike,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.99,0:01:11.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but what I do know is that it took them three weeks to get back to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.67,0:01:13.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that was the round journey. It took that long for anyone
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.83,0:01:16.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to have any impact and get some feedback.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.02,0:01:18.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's changed now because, as journalists,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.51,0:01:21.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we interact in real time. We're not in a position
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.67,0:01:24.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the audience is reacting to news.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.01,0:01:27.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're reacting to the audience, and we're actually relying on them.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.76,0:01:30.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're helping us find the news. They're helping us
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.15,0:01:34.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,figure out what is the best angle to take and what is the stuff that they want to hear.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.92,0:01:38.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's a real-time thing. It's much quicker. It's happening
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.82,0:01:44.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a constant basis, and the journalist is always playing catch up.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.74,0:01:47.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To give an example of how we rely on the audience,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.37,0:01:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the 5th of September in Costa Rica, an earthquake hit.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.91,0:01:54.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a 7.6 magnitude. It was fairly big.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.24,0:01:57.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And 60 seconds is the amount of time it took
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.12,0:01:59.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for it to travel 250 kilometers to Managua.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.68,0:02:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the ground shook in Managua 60 seconds after it hit the epicenter.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.83,0:02:06.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thirty seconds later, the first message went onto Twitter,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.48,0:02:09.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this was someone saying "temblor," which means earthquake.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.34,0:02:11.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So 60 seconds was how long it took
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.68,0:02:13.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the physical earthquake to travel.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.59,0:02:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thirty seconds later news of that earthquake had traveled
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.15,0:02:19.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all around the world, instantly. Everyone in the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.12,0:02:22.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hypothetically, had the potential to know that an earthquake
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.32,0:02:24.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was happening in Managua.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.73,0:02:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that happened because this one person had
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.08,0:02:31.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a documentary instinct, which was to post a status update,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.03,0:02:33.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is what we all do now, so if something happens,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.56,0:02:35.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we put our status update, or we post a photo,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.64,0:02:39.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we post a video, and it all goes up into the cloud in a constant stream.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.42,0:02:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what that means is just constant,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.18,0:02:44.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,huge volumes of data going up.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.59,0:02:46.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's actually staggering. When you look at the numbers,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.87,0:02:49.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every minute there are 72 more hours
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.86,0:02:51.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of video on YouTube.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.24,0:02:54.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that's, every second, more than an hour of video gets uploaded.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.53,0:02:58.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in photos, Instagram, 58 photos are uploaded to Instagram a second.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.78,0:03:02.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,More than three and a half thousand photos go up onto Facebook.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.54,0:03:06.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So by the time I'm finished talking here, there'll be 864
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.25,0:03:09.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more hours of video on Youtube than there were when I started,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.86,0:03:13.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and two and a half million more photos on Facebook and Instagram than when I started.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.73,0:03:17.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's an interesting position to be in as a journalist,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.66,0:03:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we should have access to everything.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.08,0:03:22.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Any event that happens anywhere in the world, I should be able to know about it
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.97,0:03:26.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretty much instantaneously, as it happens, for free.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.90,0:03:30.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that goes for every single person in this room.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.07,0:03:32.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only problem is, when you have that much information,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.68,0:03:34.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have to find the good stuff, and that can be
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.97,0:03:36.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,incredibly difficult when you're dealing with those volumes.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.95,0:03:39.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And nowhere was this brought home more than during
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.27,0:03:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hurricane Sandy. So what you had in Hurricane Sandy was
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.18,0:03:45.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a superstorm, the likes of which we hadn't seen for a long time,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.20,0:03:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hitting the iPhone capital of the universe -- (Laughter) --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.35,0:03:52.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you got volumes of media like we'd never seen before.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.56,0:03:55.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that meant that journalists had to deal with fakes,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.31,0:03:58.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we had to deal with old photos that were being reposted.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.22,0:04:00.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had to deal with composite images
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.47,0:04:03.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that were merging photos from previous storms.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.65,0:04:08.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had to deal with images from films like "The Day After Tomorrow." (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.89,0:04:11.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we had to deal with images that were so realistic
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.72,0:04:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was nearly difficult to tell if they were real at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.09,0:04:18.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.40,0:04:22.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But joking aside, there were images like this one from Instagram
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.13,0:04:24.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was subjected to a grilling by journalists.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.40,0:04:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They weren't really sure. It was filtered in Instagram.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.64,0:04:29.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The lighting was questioned. Everything was questioned about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.16,0:04:31.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it turned out to be true. It was from Avenue C
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.45,0:04:33.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in downtown Manhattan, which was flooded.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.61,0:04:35.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason that they could tell that it was real
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.71,0:04:37.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was because they could get to the source, and in this case,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.80,0:04:39.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these guys were New York food bloggers.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.91,0:04:41.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were well respected. They were known.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.94,0:04:45.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this one wasn't a debunk, it was actually something that they could prove.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.03,0:04:47.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that was the job of the journalist. It was filtering all this stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.95,0:04:50.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you were, instead of going and finding the information
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.66,0:04:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bringing it back to the reader, you were holding back
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.23,0:04:55.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the stuff that was potentially damaging.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.29,0:04:58.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finding the source becomes more and more important --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.24,0:05:01.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,finding the good source -- and Twitter is where most journalists now go.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.98,0:05:05.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like the de facto real-time newswire,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.13,0:05:08.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you know how to use it, because there is so much on Twitter.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.10,0:05:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And a good example of how useful it can be
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.48,0:05:14.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also how difficult was the Egyptian revolution in 2011.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.02,0:05:16.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a non-Arabic speaker, as someone who was looking
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.66,0:05:18.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the outside, from Dublin,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.96,0:05:20.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Twitter lists, and lists of good sources,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.76,0:05:24.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people we could establish were credible, were really important.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.38,0:05:26.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And how do you build a list like that from scratch?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.89,0:05:29.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, it can be quite difficult, but you have to know what to look for.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.32,0:05:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This visualization was done by an Italian academic.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.18,0:05:35.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He's called André Pannison, and he basically
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.57,0:05:37.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,took the Twitter conversation in Tahrir Square
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.74,0:05:41.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the day that Hosni Mubarak would eventually resign,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.20,0:05:43.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the dots you can see are retweets, so when someone
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.83,0:05:46.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,retweets a message, a connection is made between two dots,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.61,0:05:49.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the more times that message is retweeted by other people,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.22,0:05:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more you get to see these nodes, these connections being made.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.42,0:05:54.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's an amazing way of visualizing the conversation,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.35,0:05:57.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but what you get is hints at who is more interesting
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.06,0:05:59.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and who is worth investigating.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.74,0:06:02.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as the conversation grew and grew, it became
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.62,0:06:04.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more and more lively, and eventually you were left
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.90,0:06:09.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with this huge, big, rhythmic pointer of this conversation.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.68,0:06:11.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You could find the nodes, though, and then you went,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.49,0:06:13.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you go, "Right, I've got to investigate these people.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.79,0:06:15.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are the ones that are obviously making sense.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.50,0:06:17.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's see who they are."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.81,0:06:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now in the deluge of information, this is where
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.50,0:06:23.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the real-time web gets really interesting for a journalist like myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.71,0:06:25.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we have more tools than ever
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.68,0:06:28.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to do that kind of investigation.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.44,0:06:31.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you start digging into the sources, you can go
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.45,0:06:33.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,further and further than you ever could before.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.74,0:06:37.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes you come across a piece of content that
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.10,0:06:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is so compelling, you want to use it, you're dying to use it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.56,0:06:43.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you're not 100 percent sure if you can because
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.23,0:06:44.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you don't know if the source is credible.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.44,0:06:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don't know if it's a scrape. You don't know if it's a re-upload.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.62,0:06:48.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you have to do that investigative work.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.33,0:06:50.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this video, which I'm going to let run through,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.67,0:06:53.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was one we discovered a couple of weeks ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.66,0:06:55.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Video: Getting real windy in just a second.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.86,0:07:00.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Rain and wind sounds)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.75,0:07:03.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Explosion) Oh, shit!
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.92,0:07:06.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Markham Nolan: Okay, so now if you're a news producer, this is something
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.85,0:07:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd love to run with, because obviously, this is gold.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.41,0:07:11.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know? This is a fantastic reaction from someone,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.67,0:07:14.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very genuine video that they've shot in their back garden.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.24,0:07:17.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But how do you find if this person, if it's true, if it's faked,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.73,0:07:20.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or if it's something that's old and that's been reposted?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.39,0:07:22.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we set about going to work on this video, and
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.62,0:07:25.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the only thing that we had to go on was the username on the YouTube account.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.48,0:07:27.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was only one video posted to that account,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.83,0:07:29.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the username was Rita Krill.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.32,0:07:32.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we didn't know if Rita existed or if it was a fake name.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.61,0:07:35.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we started looking, and we used free Internet tools to do so.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.52,0:07:38.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first one was called Spokeo, which allowed us to look for Rita Krills.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.83,0:07:41.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we looked all over the U.S. We found them in New York,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.21,0:07:43.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we found them in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Florida.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.97,0:07:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we went and we looked for a second free Internet tool
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.62,0:07:49.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called Wolfram Alpha, and we checked the weather reports
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.09,0:07:51.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the day in which this video had been uploaded,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.59,0:07:53.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when we went through all those various cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.47,0:07:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we found that in Florida, there were thunderstorms and rain on the day.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.96,0:07:59.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we went to the white pages, and we found,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.61,0:08:02.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we looked through the Rita Krills in the phonebook,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.53,0:08:04.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we looked through a couple of different addresses,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.11,0:08:07.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that took us to Google Maps, where we found a house.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.42,0:08:09.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we found a house with a swimming pool that looked
Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.34,0:08:12.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,remarkably like Rita's. So we went back to the video,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.26,0:08:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we had to look for clues that we could cross-reference.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.23,0:08:18.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you look in the video, there's the big umbrella,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.44,0:08:20.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a white lilo in the pool,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.29,0:08:22.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are some unusually rounded edges in the swimming pool,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.73,0:08:24.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there's two trees in the background.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.78,0:08:27.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we went back to Google Maps, and we looked a little bit closer,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.21,0:08:29.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sure enough, there's the white lilo,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.88,0:08:32.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are the two trees,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.87,0:08:34.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's the umbrella. It's actually folded in this photo.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.86,0:08:38.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Little bit of trickery. And there are the rounded edges on the swimming pool.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.64,0:08:41.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were able to call Rita, clear the video,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.79,0:08:43.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make sure that it had been shot, and then our clients
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.87,0:08:47.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were delighted because they were able to run it without being worried.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.07,0:08:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes the search for truth, though,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.84,0:08:53.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a little bit less flippant, and it has much greater consequences.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.25,0:08:56.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Syria has been really interesting for us, because obviously
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.23,0:08:58.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a lot of the time you're trying to debunk stuff that can be
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.91,0:09:02.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,potentially war crime evidence, so this is where YouTube
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.71,0:09:05.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actually becomes the most important repository
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.07,0:09:09.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of information about what's going on in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.22,0:09:11.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this video, I'm not going to show you the whole thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.97,0:09:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it's quite gruesome, but you'll hear some of the sounds.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.70,0:09:17.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is from Hama.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.02,0:09:19.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Video: (Shouting)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.99,0:09:23.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what this video shows, when you watch the whole thing through,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.90,0:09:26.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is bloody bodies being taken out of a pickup truck
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.66,0:09:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and thrown off a bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.26,0:09:32.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The allegations were that these guys were Muslim Brotherhood
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.04,0:09:34.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they were throwing Syrian Army officers' bodies
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.92,0:09:37.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,off the bridge, and they were cursing and using blasphemous language,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.85,0:09:40.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there were lots of counterclaims about who they were,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.24,0:09:42.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and whether or not they were what the video said it was.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.48,0:09:45.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we talked to some sources in Hama who we had been
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.74,0:09:48.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back and forth with on Twitter, and we asked them about this,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.08,0:09:51.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the bridge was interesting to us because it was something we could identify.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.89,0:09:54.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three different sources said three different things about the bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.80,0:09:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They said, one, the bridge doesn't exist.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.07,0:10:00.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another one said the bridge does exist, but it's not in Hama. It's somewhere else.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.59,0:10:03.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the third one said, "I think the bridge does exist,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.15,0:10:06.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the dam upstream of the bridge was closed,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.52,0:10:09.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the river should actually have been dry, so this doesn't make sense."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.91,0:10:12.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that was the only one that gave us a clue.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.52,0:10:13.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We looked through the video for other clues.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.75,0:10:16.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We saw the distinctive railings, which we could use.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.84,0:10:20.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We looked at the curbs. The curbs were throwing shadows south,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.58,0:10:22.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we could tell the bridge was running east-west across the river.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.90,0:10:24.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It had black-and-white curbs.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.86,0:10:26.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As we looked at the river itself, you could see there's
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.84,0:10:29.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a concrete stone on the west side. There's a cloud of blood.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.80,0:10:31.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's blood in the river. So the river is flowing
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.53,0:10:33.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,south to north. That's what that tells me.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.23,0:10:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And also, as you look away from the bridge,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.58,0:10:37.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a divot on the left-hand side of the bank,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.22,0:10:39.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the river narrows.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.66,0:10:42.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So onto Google Maps we go, and we start
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.23,0:10:44.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking through literally every single bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.29,0:10:47.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We go to the dam that we talked about, we start just
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.77,0:10:51.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,literally going through every time that road crosses the river,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.38,0:10:53.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crossing off the bridges that don't match.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.12,0:10:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're looking for one that crosses east-west.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.88,0:10:56.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we get to Hama. We get all the way from the dam
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.84,0:10:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to Hama and there's no bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.84,0:11:01.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we go a bit further. We switch to the satellite view,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.32,0:11:04.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we find another bridge, and everything starts to line up.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.24,0:11:07.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bridge looks like it's crossing the river east to west.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.28,0:11:10.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this could be our bridge. And we zoom right in.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.44,0:11:13.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We start to see that it's got a median, so it's a two-lane bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.34,0:11:16.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's got the black-and-white curbs that we saw in the video,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.99,0:11:19.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as we click through it, you can see someone's
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.30,0:11:22.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uploaded photos to go with the map, which is very handy,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.26,0:11:24.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we click into the photos. And the photos start showing us
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.94,0:11:27.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more detail that we can cross-reference with the video.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.56,0:11:31.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first thing that we see is we see black-and-white curbing,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.29,0:11:33.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is handy because we've seen that before.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.39,0:11:36.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We see the distinctive railing that we saw the guys
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.89,0:11:39.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,throwing the bodies over.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.24,0:11:41.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we keep going through it until we're certain that this is our bridge.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.90,0:11:43.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what does that tell me? I've got to go back now
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.42,0:11:45.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to my three sources and look at what they told me:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.73,0:11:47.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the one who said the bridge didn't exist,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.46,0:11:49.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the one who said the bridge wasn't in Hama,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.32,0:11:53.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the one guy who said, "Yes, the bridge does exist, but I'm not sure about the water levels."
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.27,0:11:56.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Number three is looking like the most truthful all of a sudden,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.60,0:11:59.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we've been able to find that out using some free Internet tools
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.58,0:12:02.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting in a cubicle in an office in Dublin
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.10,0:12:03.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the space of 20 minutes.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.59,0:12:06.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's part of the joy of this. Although the web
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.03,0:12:09.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is running like a torrent, there's so much information there
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.29,0:12:12.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it's incredibly hard to sift and getting harder every day,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.48,0:12:15.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you use them intelligently, you can find out incredible information.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.81,0:12:18.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Given a couple of clues, I could probably find out
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.20,0:12:21.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a lot of things about most of you in the audience that you might not like me finding out.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.74,0:12:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what it tells me is that, at a time when
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.74,0:12:28.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's more -- there's a greater abundance of information than there ever has been,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.77,0:12:31.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's harder to filter, we have greater tools.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.40,0:12:33.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have free Internet tools that allow us,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.27,0:12:35.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,help us do this kind of investigation.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.49,0:12:37.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have algorithms that are smarter than ever before,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:37.32,0:12:39.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and computers that are quicker than ever before.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.74,0:12:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here's the thing. Algorithms are rules. They're binary.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.16,0:12:44.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're yes or no, they're black or white.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.95,0:12:48.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Truth is never binary. Truth is a value.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.50,0:12:53.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Truth is emotional, it's fluid, and above all, it's human.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:53.17,0:12:55.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No matter how quick we get with computers, no matter
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.27,0:12:57.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how much information we have, you'll never be able
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.66,0:13:00.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remove the human from the truth-seeking exercise,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.65,0:13:04.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because in the end, it is a uniquely human trait.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.31,0:13:08.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks very much. (Applause)