- Not rushing to put the content on air, and taking the time to dis- cuss the material with the editorial board. - Providing elaboration and clarification as to the context in which Al Jazeera obtained the recordings, with the assistance of experts and analysts. - Presenting the opinion of the other side as well as the American point of view, who on each occasion used to issue a statement confirm- ing or rejecting the authenticity of the recording (1) . With the communication and information technology revolution and the introduction of multiple social media platforms, journalists have had unprecedented opportunities to access non-traditional sources of information and news. The new media has allowed for wider inter- action with the audience, especially through digital platforms alongside conventional TV screens. However, these opportunities brought with them new challenges regarding the verification of credible sources and content. Al Jazeera responded very quickly to these developments, both at the technical and the editorial levels. The Arab Spring revolutions of- fered the occasion and the field in which these challenges were clearly displayed. While news and information were pouring in from citizen journal- ists and ordinary people in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, the Al Jazeera newsroom was constantly busy trying to verify the authenticity of these materials. Unfamiliar methods were employed to break the blackout imposed by some governments, such as Ben Ali’s in Tunisia. Thanks to those efforts, the world was able to follow the events until the fall of Ben Ali on January 14, 2011. However, it cannot be asserted that Al Ja- zeera had, from the outset, a clear policy and methodology for dealing with this new type of unconventional resource. It was a new experience, and the fast-changing events required a rapid and unconventional re- sponse to tackle the flow of incoming materials through the Internet and various social media platforms. A situation which resulted in few errors, especially considering the sheer amount of challenges that faced us and the difficult circumstances in which the coverage was taking place.
(1) Montaser Marai et al, Seeking Truth in a Pile of Fake News , Al Jazeera Media Institute, 2017.
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