The Work Of Bibliobloggers Gets Its Due

Bibliobloggers have finally made it into the big league, getting a mention on the front page of the New York Times (click through to see it in full context):

Please click through and see the page itself to verify its authenticity before reading further.

Now that I’ve put some of you in shock and made others skeptical but curious, I can now set your mind at ease. The above (including the page you arrive at by following the link) is an example of Newsjacking which I learned about today via Skeptic.

It has been possible for a long time to manipulate images and text to create fake news items. Indeed, a relative contacted me on Facebook yesterday concerned about rumors that Americans would soon be required to have microchips implanted. The claim drew selectively on actual proposed legislation, weaving it with a popular but dubious interpretation of Revelation to create panic.

Newsjack simply takes that to the next level, offering a site that facilitates doing that sort of thing, making it incredibly easy and quick.

In a sense, this is probably a good thing. By making it so easy to create spoof news, I am hopeful that it will become common knowledge that one has to fact-check claims, even ones that seem to be in newspapers or on news web sites.

For the benefit of those who came here hoping for actual news about bibliobloggers addressing claims made in various media outlets, let me share the latest from Jason Staples and Mark Goodacre on the inscription and names on ossuaries in the Talpiot tombs. Alas, neither is on the front page of the New York Times today.