This morning, tv station National Geographic put a condolence message on their screen. The message mentioned the death of Prince Friso. Prince Friso is in an artificial coma since his ski accident in February this year.
National Geographic deleted the message in a few minutes, though the media picked it up. Especially the social media. It was a trending topic on Twitter. People were speculating about the sudden death of the prince. Because of this trending topic, the other news media were talking about it. After an hour, the national information service mentioned the prince is still alive.
As a result of the message, National Geographic reported they made a technical mistake. A mediasociologist of the University of Amsterdam, thinks the barrier for media is getting lower. A message like the death of a prince, should first be investigated before you put it online or on the tv-screen. The sociologist thinks the problem is that news stations are competing with each other by being the first with a news item. Often they don’t verify the messages for being correct.
The social media are having a strengthening effect on news like this. I think news companies should always check their sources before putting a message online. Especially with messages which can have a big social impact. The impact of social media is growing!
Here is a screenshot of the message:
For more information, check this newssite (it’s dutch!):
http://www.nu.nl/media/2944546/drempel-media-ligt-steeds-lager.html
http://www.nu.nl/media/2944331/national-geographic-in-fout-met-bericht-dood-prins-friso.html
A short video with the news:
http://www.zie.nl/video/algemeen/Toestand-prins-Friso-onveranderd/m1nz2cgfo55p
