March 12, 2014
Firefighters battle a fire after a building collapses in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York, Wednesday, March 12, 2014 (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

 

Here are some quick tips and best practices for coverage of disasters such as the building explosion in Harlem Wednesday:

5 tips for covering disaster preparedness Dig for context and other advice when covering the unexpected.

Boston explosions a reminder of how breaking news is changing Don’t make assumptions and other advice on avoiding mistakes when the adrenaline is pumping.

Best practices: images of disaster and how they were captured “Readers want to know what it looks like and what it feels like,” and other insights from photo editors and directors.

Why fake photos are as appealing as real ones in a disaster A reminder that bogus images can fool anyone.

How journalists can avoid getting fooled by fake Hurricane Sandy photos Lessons from Sandy on verifying before tweeting or publishing.

How journalists verify user-generated content, information on social media First rule: contact the person who posted the photo, video or information.

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