The best training tool for investigative journalists ever

The Dutch European Journalism Centre has developed "The Verification Handbook," on online resource for journalists, sand we should all bask in its glory. But now — bow down to "The Verification Handbook for Investigative Journalists."

There have been more than one sad tale of journalistic sloppiness lately, in particular the Rolling Stone piece that relied on a victim who might not have actually been a victim at all.

The Verification Handbook is the perfect answer to newsrooms (quite rightly) worried that a similar problem might crop up. It's a free, online textbook on journalistic verification, offering real-world examples and real solutions to problems newsrooms face every day.

And no — nobody has paid me to write this.

Here's an excerpt from chapter 2 in the original handbook, on the necessity of verification techniques, as written by handbook contributor Steve Buttry.

The need for verification starts with the simple fact that many of our information sources are wrong. They may be lying maliciously or innocently passing along misinformation. They may have faulty memories or lack context or understanding. They may be in harm's way and unable to provide everything they know, or unable to see the full picture of events as they unfold.

 The investigative version goes into far greater detail, so much so that most journalists might find it a difficult read. It really is a master class in verification.

Here's an excerpt from the chapter on the use of data and methods of data verification, as written by contributor Giannina Segnini:

The rise in the volume and speed of data production might be overwhelming for many journalists, many of whom are not used to using large amounts of data for research and storytelling. But the urgency and eagerness to make use of data, and the technology available to process it, should not distract us from our underlying quest for accuracy. To fully capture the value of data, we must be able to distinguish between questionable and quality information, and be able to find real stories amid all of the noise.