When we produce a video to tell a story, one of the first things that we learn is to shoot footage that can be used for breaks and transitions during the narration, as well as to enrich and reinforce the message. Naturally, all the footage must be coherent and related to the context.
However, sometimes, in the hurry to prepare a news report on contemporary events, stock footage is used without checking its coherence to the story. Without even seeking to do so, however, it may also drive disinformation.
In yesterday’s fact checking session for Programme Be Internet Awesome, Pierpaolo Salino from Pagella Politica inovled the students in the analysis of a news report that was broadcast the TG2 News Service (1:00 pm, Feb. 24). The news showed footage of the military operation launched by Russia on the night of February 23, 2022, to bomb large areas of Ukraine.
The students working on fact checking immediately recognised the footage from the “War Thunder” videogame, an airplane battle simulation game. And the students also recognised other images that were out of context, including planes flying over buildings in the Ukraine, which actually was footage filmed in 2020 during the preparation for a Russian military parade. It had nothing to do with the Russian Air Force missions over the Ukraine [for further information Russia-Ucraina: nel suo servizio, il TG2 ha trasmesso un videogioco e una parata del 2020 (in Italian)].
In reporting on events that have a global significance for the lives of people, such as wars, information must be treated carefully and ensured to be correct. It is unacceptable to mix true footage with videogames and stock footage. This type of information is at the basis of misinformation.
A sequence from the fact checking lab with experts from Pagella Politica (March 2, 2022).
