Viral false reports of a miraculous Texas flood rescue were debunked, highlighting journalism during crises.
With torrential rains pounding the central regions of the US state of Texas and the death toll from the subsequent floods rising into the dozens over the weekend, word began circulating on social media of a piece of good news.
Two young girls supposedly were found alive in a tree outside Comfort, Texas. The Kerr County Lead’s editor, Louis Amestoy, was dubious, but the reports he was receiving about the miraculous rescue wouldn’t quit, he said.
A social media ground report from a volunteer appeared to support the tale. After dispatching a reporter to follow up and talking with what he described as several self-identified witnesses, the Lead published the story on July 6, which was then picked up locally and across the country.
But the tale was a lie; “100% inaccurate”, in the words of one local sheriff. Thousands of people on Facebook had read the story, hoping, thanking, and relieving themselves over it.
All those hopes were dashed when Amestoy was compelled to pull the story back. Like previous disasters, the floods had drawn up loose-spreading misinformation and acted as a warning regarding the alertness expected of journalists in emotionally charged news events.
Once the story was discredited, numerous Facebook pages and accounts, including authenticated ones, removed or revised their initial posts indicating the unverified report. Still, some of the posts containing the initial reports, such as one with 4,700 shares, were left intact as of Monday evening.
Flash floods beginning July 4 in central Texas have claimed over 100 lives, news reports said. While authorities have warned people away from interfering with rescues, that did not deter volunteers from arriving, Amestoy explained.
