I took a look at the Manti Te'o controversy and what we can all learn from it as communicators who share information across many different platforms.

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Lessons from Manti Te’o
Jen Lee Reeves – AARP Social Communications

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What happened
 National reports about Manti Te’o’s girlfriend dying
 Theme reported on many levels:
• Quick reports
• In-depth features
• Shared and re-shared across publications
 It was all a hoax: There was never a real girlfriend, falsely
attributed photos
 No one uncovered the hoax until the website, Deadspin, did
some reporting

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Deadspin report
 Reporters were tipped about the fake girlfriend
The reporters researched the girlfriend’s history
• No record of her attending Stanford
• No records of a car crash
• No death certificate
 Analyzed articles on the relationship and
found conflicting information
 Tracked down the original photo
 Found the person linked to the photo and Te’O
 Published an article with their findings

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Deadspin reporting

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Always be
Lessons Learned
skeptical

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Lessons learned
 Create a list to make sure you asked all questions:
• Check and confirm sources
• Provide as many original sources as you can (link to them)
• Do not take statements at face value, confirm facts
• Look for alternate perspectives

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Lessons learned
 Create a list to make sure you asked all questions:
• Check and confirm sources
• Provide as many original sources as you can (link to them)
• Do not take statements at face value, confirm facts
• Look for alternate perspectives
CHECKLISTS
• Craig Silverman’s checklist
• Steve Buttry’s checklist
• Newslab checklist

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Power of getting it right
 Deadspin’s reporting boosted web traffic
 Proof traditional journalism is not the only journalism
 Understanding social media and navigating through it can be
a powerful skill
 We can all ask questions like journalists

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What did you learn?
 Each of us can take different perspectives from a national
event like this one.

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Any
questions?
Give it your best shot!
jlreeves@aarp.org
@jenleereeves