Advanced Social Media Skills Training

social media
PA Media and Google News Initiative

With the rise of disinformation on social media platforms, journalists need to be equipped with the skills to navigate and investigate these platforms effectively. The Advanced Social Media Skills training course equips journalists with the necessary skills to tackle disinformation by investigating platforms such as TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Journalists will learn how to understand the layout of each platform, find relevant information quickly, and use open source tools to further investigations.

In our research with more than 100 journalists, we found that many want to learn more about social media platforms that are typically uncovered in traditional fact checking programmes, such as Telegram, LinkedIn, and “alternative” social media such as Gab and Parler.

The course includes real-world activities that challenge journalists to verify live misinformation on social media, allowing them to enhance their skills and problem solving abilities in real-world scenarios.

Investigate TikTok:

  1. Understand the layout of TikTok’s interface
  2. Explore TikTok trends quickly and efficiently
  3. Dig deeper into profiles and videos on TikTok
  4. Search the TikTok platform without having an account

Investigate Telegram:

  1. Understand the layout of Telegram
  2. Find groups and channels on Telegram
  3. Use open source tools to further your investigation into Telegram’s groups and channels

Investigate YouTube:

  1. Understand YouTube’s impact on disinformation
  2. Investigate videos and channels
  3. Find relevant videos quickly and easily
  4. Search archived YouTube videos
  5. Search YouTube by location and investigate videos’ metadata

Investigate LinkedIn:

  1. Investigate LinkedIn profiles using advanced search
  2. Investigate companies on LinkedIn
  3. Use open source tools to find people and companies on LinkedIn

Investigating the “Alt Web”:

  1. Understand how “alternative” social media differs from “big tech”
  2. Investigate Gab, Parler, Gettr, and 4chan
  3. Understand safe research practices for these platforms

Verification skills

Introduction to mis and disinformation

Refine Queries with Search

Verification

Advanced Social media skills

Investigate TikTok

Investigate Telegram

Investigate YouTube

Fact-checking skills

Fact-checking Best Practices

Geolocation

Combat mis and disinformation

Responsible & Safe reporting

Monitor viral stories

New techniques and future trends in combating mis and disinformation

Contact us

If you would like to contact PA Training about the Festival of Journalism please email us on [email protected] or call us on 0207 963 7920.

In autumn 2022 PA Media Journalism Training conducted research to understand UK journalists’ understanding of mis- and disinformation, and how we could best address any skills gaps. Please complete the form below to access the report.