neXtDRAFT 38. Fake news and SuperTyphoons

Published: Sun, 09/23/18

Welcome new subscribers. If this is your first neXtDRAFT you'll find poems, stories and pics about my life as an adopted mum (and freelance writer) living between Australia and the Philippines. Every week I also share my best tips for making money as a professional writer and how to navigate your home office workplace while serving clients from all over the world.

Here in the Philippines I support about 20 kids from a rural municipality with food, school supplies and love; while encouraging them to go to school. You'll read their stories here too. And if you are a stamp collector, you'll be the first to see the newest listings in the STAMPS FOR THE VISAYANS eBay store -- where 100% of the proceeds support the kids here.

neXtDRAFT is delivered to your inbox every Sunday(ish) depending of course on the frequent monsoons, powercuts and WIFI outages (which sometimes interfere with my publishing schedule).

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Melinda J. Irvine

https://melirvine.com.au/

Hello and welcome to neXtDRAFT 38. Fake news and SuperTyphoons.

If you have been watching the news you will know that last week SuperTyphoon Mangkhut (Ompong) swept through the northern regions of the Philippines as well as Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

The monsoonal rains (triggered by the typhoon) loosened soil on mountain tops in areas exposed to years of mining and quarrying. In a number of different landslides scores of people have died and many more remain missing as rescue workers have been battling for more than a week now to dig out the victims.

That is not fake news.

But about a week before the Typhoon (when it was still nowhere near the Philippines Area of Responsibility (PAR)) I received a FB message from one of my friends in Estancia. A friend who had lost her home, her shop, and most of her possessions after Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The impending typhoon was real enough, but someone had been circulating a news report from 4 years ago -- describing a typhoon which was expected to be as catastrophic as Yolanda -- and passing that off as recent news.

People started to panic. Despite my cautions that the news was fake, I continued to receive text messages from other friends in the same area warning me of the typhoon and tell me they were already packing to evacuate.

Fake news is nothing new to the world, but social media is. And it's really, really easy to be swindled as information is given a cursory glance and rapidly shared. Every day people are unscrupulously posting:-

disinformation information that is false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organisation or country),
misinformation: information that is false but not created with the intention of causing harm (but often does anyway)
Mal-information information that is based on reality, and used to inflict harm on a person, social group, organisation or country.

Even worse, political candidates now have in their budgets $$$$ for creating fake Facebook and other social media accounts to creating counter 'news' while making themselves appear more popular -- plus spread lies about their opponents.

At the same time other people create their own 'memes' based on their opinions rather facts. People who have done no research and use a one-off isolated incident as a platform to incite racism or fear.

So this week's neXtDRAFT is an awareness and reminder newsletter. Do your own research: because without facts, verified data, and sources -- a piece of writing is merely an opinion.

We, the public are easily swindled during emotional debates about climate change, gun laws, and children in detention centres. Don't rely on the opinions of people who financially benefit from their 'facts' to inform your beliefs.

If you are reading this, you have access to the internet and the opportunity to look at both sides of any debate. Do your research before sharing information because even in the sharing of a simple new video -- do you want to be responsible for causing someone to pack their bags and evacuate their house for absolutely no reason.

I'm sure SuperTyphoons have been the brunt of fake news reports for thousands of years, but they really don't have to be anymore.

Till next week.

Mel xx

Sincerely,

Melinda J. Irvine

[email protected]

at night

shadows strike

already dark walls

and your eyes create

things not yet real

with a weird filter

Real or Fake: Stamps of Tibet

The world's first postage stamps were issued in Britain in the 1840s, within 20 years the world's first forgeriers appeared. In fact by 1863 forged stamps were so common that a book Forged Stamps: How to Detect Them was published.

Many master forgers (like the Italian Jean de Sperati) became quite famous, leaving their signature on the back of the stamps a little bit like the way student artists forged their masters. Incidentally the forgeries of Jean de Sperati are now worth more than the original stamps he copied.

So in keeping with this week's theme of fake news and forgeries we are presenting our set of Tibetan stamps. Tibetan stamps are very collectible but have been widely forged (including the postmarks). What makes the stamps interesting is that each stamp was individually printed from hand-carved wooden blocks. So every stamp differs a little from the others of the same denomination.

Our Tibetan stamps were inherited from our family so we don't know the full history of where they were purchased and when. They could be forgeries, we really don't know.

Even Tibetan forgeries are highly collectible and there are many websites which discuss and analyse Tibetan stamps and their forgeries. So if you are interested in bidding on these stamps, we suggest you google 'Tibetan stamps and forgeries' and visit this website also http://fuchs-online.com/tibet/.

Just remember that every bid on our stamps Bid on these contributes to our work in the Philippines, helping disadvantaged kids go to school.

PS: Stamps for the Visayans is a project of my Uncle Richard. In 2014 he inherited the family stamp collection which dates back 3 generations. He sells the stamps individually on eBay and sends the proceeds to help me live in the Philippines with Jerry (as well as run small projects for other disadvantaged children). It's incredible how these $5, $10 and $20 stamp sales (plus the odd big one) add up and make our life here possible.

Shadows on Wall OR Fake News

like a shadow

cast on wall

sometimes

you have to step

back and remove

your sunglasses

or step forward

and adjust

your eyes

to see

what’s real

and what is not

Rain on Leaves

looking for something

familiar in a dark place

anywhere you can see

rain on leaves

and your own quiet

reflection

I’m a professional writer making my way in the world of business. The WritingBiz section is for anyone wanting to make writing a career (or at the very least make some money writing). Each week I share a few ideas on how to find writing jobs, self-publish your own eBooks, as well as how to setup your writing business and run it profitably.

Ethics for freelance writers:

client confidentiality

This blog is the first in a series of three articles about ethics for copywriters (and freelance writers generally) where I discussing client confidentiality as well as:-

the sensitive nature of the client data you access as a freelancer
how non-disclosure agreements work
keeping client documents secure
projects that represent a conflict of interest
putting ethics and client confidentiality at the foundation of your customers service

Building trust with your clients is actually the basis of great customer service and key to creating lasting business relationships.

#freelancing #ethics

Detailed review of Bob Woodward's Masterclass

Review: Bob Woodward's Masterclass

Bob Woodward, bestselling author of ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘The Final Days‘ has a Masterclass. He is one of the world’s most famous journalists: part of a team of key reporters responsible for uncovering the Watergate scandal, leading to the eventual investigation and resignation of President Richard Nixon. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes.

This is a detailed review of course content, resources, student areas, and the Masterclass platform. 5/5 stars from me.

#investigativejournalism #BobWoodward

Journalism, 'Fake News' and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training

The United Nations have just released a new handbook for writers and journalists about presenting news and other stories in our time of 'fake news' and disinformation.

As writers we have a responsibility to conduct thorough research using sound methods, to ask good questions, fact check before sharing stuff, and speak the truth. The handbook also has a section about combatting online abuse to help you better recognise ‘astroturfing’, ‘trolling’, digital safety threats, and online abuse.

Anyone sharing information in a public space should really check this out.

#FightFakeNews #truth

For more stories, poems, articles and reviews follow my Wordpress Blog. More than 700 posts and 1,000 of photos. Share with your friends too.

From the Vault: September 2017

Mel with the teachers at Tanza Elementary School

Educating Disadvantaged Kids with 'Chasing Coral'

This time last year I organised a screening of the documentary film Chasing Coral at the Tanza Elementary School. Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate and this important film follows a team of divers, photographers and scientists on a mission to discover why.

The Tanza Elementary School is situated in a rural area very close to the sea, making the film especially relevant to the students whose lives are closely connected to the ocean. More than 300 children watched the film along with teachers and the school principal Ma'am Frecie de Angel.

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