By Amy McDougall, SpinSpotter Community Manager

Ah, the power of user feedback.

In his latest blog post, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced his decision to revert to the company’s old Terms of Service policy after listening to countless users express opposition to his changes yesterday.

That’s not to say he won’t unveil a new TOS version again soon, but with Facebook’s new Bill of Rights and Responsibilities in place, users can now offer their two cents on policy revisions that impact how Facebook handles personal information.

One of the main user concerns that rose to the surface yesterday was that the all-too general wording in the new TOS made it seem like Facebook could justify sharing personal content in ways that would violate user privacy.

I’m pleased to know that our SpinSpotter community wasted no time in speaking their minds on this issue. From user devlo de-spinning Zuckerberg’s statement that Facebook’s policy “is consistent with other services,” to user prepare_for_y2k exposing CNET’s minimization of user concerns as being as nothing more than “hysteria,” SpinSpotters took action by jumping right in. Well done.

Does this call for a larger effort to dissect and de-spin privacy policies of other services we trust with our personal information? Which company policies would you like to see de-spun? Twitter? MySpace? LinkedIn?

So much for easing into the new year, huh? From mounting job losses to inauguration hoopla, the abundance of January news made me feel like a bloated belly after Thanksgiving dinner. Quick, somebody hand me a Tums.

Speaking of thanks, we owe huge props to our SpinSpotter community for capturing some of the most glaring spin on the Web over the past month. We hope this list sparks some enlightening discussion with journalists, bloggers, editors, and anyone else ready to make the Web a more honest place.

Want to be featured in a future “Hall of Shame” release? Simply shine up those Spinoculars and submit your nominations to amy@spinspotter.com

SEATTLE, February 2, 2009: SpinSpotter, a new online service that makes it easy for people to find, fix and share bias, inaccuracy and misrepresentation on the Web, today announced the SpinSpotter Hall of Shame for January 2009.   According to SpinSpotter founder Todd Herman, most reporters work hard to maintain objectivity and avoid factual error.  “Many of the examples our community of SpinSpotters uncovers can be traced to rushed reporting or the need to over-simplify headlines,” said Herman.  “But some contain patently false information or political theater presented as real news.  We’re pleased people are discovering SpinSpotter and using our Spinoculars toolbar to bring truth and transparency to the Web.  While I personally disagree with some of what our community thinks is spin, I’m thrilled to see a monologue become a dialogue.”   Among the most recent examples of inaccuracy and bias in online media identified by SpinSpotter’s avid users are:

Sins of Omission

Reuters: Obama Pledges New Start With Muslims, January 20, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: “This reporter accepted a blanket statement that all Muslims are ‘excited’ by President Obama and failed to mention that Muslims in Gaza were burning pictures of the President as he spoke,” said SpinSpotter founder Todd Herman.

http://spinspotter.com/article/306676
http://spinspotter.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/reuters-who-needs-balance-and-context

Associated Press: Israeli Forces Storm Gaza City Neighborhood, January 13, 2009

Text: Much of the ongoing diplomacy focuses on an area of southern Gaza just across the Egyptian border that serves as a weapons smuggling route, making Egypt critical to both sides in any deal.

Israel wants smuggling tunnels along the border sealed and monitored as part of any deal, and has bombed suspected tunnel sites throughout its campaign.

SpinSpotter’s take: “While the tunnels are an important conduit for smuggled weapons, the reporter neglects to mention that some of the tunnels are also used to smuggle food and medicine,” said SpinSpotter Community Manager Amy McDougall.

http://spinspotter.com/marker/409459

Reuters: Microsoft Stuns with Profit Miss, Job Cuts, January 22, 2009

Text: The company blamed the miss on the weak PC market and the popularity of low-cost netbook computers, which have combined to badly undercut sales of its Windows operating system.

SpinSpotter’s take: This is a clear example of disregarded context.  “Is it really fair to blame declining PC sales when Apple saw nine percent growth in sales during the same time period?” said Herman. “It is a reporter’s responsibility to provide any facts which might contradict a company’s claims—if a SpinSpotter user can provide that context, why not a reporter?  The lower sales at Microsoft are a reflection of both slow sales overall and a declining share of the high-end laptop market,” said Herman.  New headline suggestion: “Microsoft blames slow sales, not improving competition, for unexpected loss.”

http://spinspotter.com/marker/410106

When Numbers Lie

New York Times: The First Test, January 22, 2009
Text: Eleven of the programs in the bill account for the vast majority of the actual job creation. The rest may be worthy or not, but they have little to do with stimulus. The total package is so diffuse, it costs $223,000 to create a single job.

SpinSpotter’s take: This Op-Ed column by David Brooks is an unfortunate recycling of a Republican press release from January 15 titled Stimulus Quick Facts. Instead of considering the whole picture, the per-job cost was calculated by dividing the sum of the stimulus package by the predicted number of jobs created. In doing so, the package has been reduced to being solely about creating jobs when it was designed to have numerous benefits beyond job creation, in areas ranging from health care and education to infrastructure and public safety.

http://spinspotter.com/marker/410143

New York Daily News: Obama’s inauguration is most expensive ever at $160 million, January 14, 2009
SpinSpotter’s take: “Obama’s inauguration may very well have been the most expensive ever. But the reporting on this story was just sloppy,” said McDougall.  “The comparisons to Bush’s inauguration are misleading. The $42.3 million dollars estimated for Bush’s 2005 inauguration do not include logistics, crowd control planning, and security, costs which were factored into the calculation for Obama.”

http://spinspotter.com/marker/409990

Don’t Look Now, but Your Bias is Showing

Associated Press: Some Blacks Choose Inauguration Over Work, January 14, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: “Proud Americans of all backgrounds missed work to watch the inauguration,” said Herman.  ”The reporter, though, seems to insinuate that African-Americans don’t deserve to take days-off like other hard-working people. And, the reporter actually uses the term ‘whooping it up’.  If Rush Limbaugh said that there would be big trouble,” said Herman.

http://spinspotter.com/marker/409592

Associated Press: Retirees No Longer Counting on Home Equity, January 4, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: Reporter claims that elders spent home equity like “yellow and blue Monopoly money.” “This generalization is flippant, assumptive and sensationalized. What about those retirees who spent their home equity on essential living expenses?” said Herman.

http://spinspotter.com/article/286803

PR Stunt Masquerading as News

Yahoo! Green: Pop open your champagne, Obama is taking the train, January 16, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: “This writer fell for a basic act of political theater,” said Herman. “Yes, the Obamas rode a train to D.C—a private train.  And they took a private jet to Philly in order to board the train there, too, which all sounds more wasteful than green.”

http://spinspotter.com/article/308578

New York Times: Obama Celebrates Holiday with Service, January 19, 2009

Text: Barack Obama rolled up his sleeves on Monday and helped out at a homeless center, devoting much of his last full day as president-elect to paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and to the spirit of volunteerism and public service he said Mr. King represented.

SpinSpotter’s take: “This is a photo-opp, pure and simple. Note the dress shirt and slacks.  If the President really wanted to help, he could have donated a small percentage of the money raised for his inauguration,” said Herman.

http://spinspotter.com/user/TMills/307858

WSJ.com: Blogger Infighting Played Role, Says TechCrunch Founder, January 28, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: “This story is an example of how a savvy opportunist can manipulate the press and create news where there isn’t any,” said Herman. “Arrington has whipped up a storm in a teacup by claiming he is being viciously attacked for being the ‘top blog.’  No one questions — or supports — his claims of supremacy.  And he even gets the reporter to mention he was at the World Economic Forum at the time of the interview, making Arrington seem more important, instead of just saying he was calling from Davos, Switzerland.”

http://spinspotter.com/user/godsdog/323615

Just Plain Wrong
Fox News: Geithner Failed to Pay Taxes, Hired Housekeeper Without Proper Immigration Documents, January 13, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: ”Sometimes the need for a shorter headline leads to trouble,” said McDougall. “This headline makes it sound as if Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary broke the law by hiring someone without proper documents.  And while the article later explains that the housekeeper’s immigration status lapsed while under Geithner’s employ and that she was eventually granted a green card, there is no denying that the misleading headline hurt Geithner’s reputation.”

http://spinspotter.com/marker/409492

Fox News: Obama, Roberts Finally Get It Right in Oath Do-Over, January 21, 2009
President Obama retakes the oath of office after he and Chief Justice John Roberts stumbled over the language the first time.

SpinSpotter’s take: Fox News is alone in insisting both Obama and Roberts ‘flubbed’ the oath.

http://spinspotter.com/user/prepare_for_y2k/323337

NBCWashington.com: Obama to Get Thumbs on Secure BlackBerry, January 21, 2009

SpinSpotter’s take: The Sectera Edge is not a Blackberry. Blackberry is a trade-marked PDA from the Canadian tech company, RIMM. The Sectera Edge is made by an American company.

http://spinspotter.com/marker/410048

About Spinoculars:
Spinoculars are a free plug-in to your Web browser to let you easily highlight and share the spin you find and also let you see what other SpinSpotters have deemed biased, dubious, or patently false while you’re surfing the Web. The beta version of Spinoculars can be downloaded at www.spinspotter.com.

About the Company:
SpinSpotter is a people-powered online technology and community dedicated to bringing truth and transparency to the Web though its flagship toolbar, Spinoculars.  With Spinoculars, people can mark-up, correct and share any examples of inaccuracy or spin they see on the Web.   SpinSpotter executives and community members believe that every time journalists, marketers or bloggers posts text online, they should be held accountable for the veracity of their information.  The company is based in Seattle and is led by veteran technology executives and entrepreneurs.

While moving last weekend, I discovered that the BRITA water filter from my old apartment won’t attach to my new kitchen faucet. “Big deal. I’m no water purist snob,” I thought, as I started to guzzle it straight from the tap.

But before the water even hit my esophagus, I spit a mouthful back into (and all around) the sink. Why? Because it tasted like a corroded sewer pipe, not H2O. (Not that I’ve ever tasted a corroded sewer pipe, nor am I encouraging you to try it now or ever.)

The moral of the story: People need good water filters, just like people need good information filters. (Yep, I really am making this stretch of a parallel here.)

If we want to be a society of well-informed voters and confident consumers, then isn’t it time we step up and become the hyper-critical readers, hawkish media watchdogs, and superhero SpinSpotters who will straighten out twisted truths, flag misleading press releases, and cast light upon sloppy news reporting? Isn’t it time we become BRITAs on the Web—extracting the pollutants, calling out the B.S. as we see it, and restoring its tastiness and trustworthiness?

Some brave souls are already tackling this task, and thank goodness for that. Pop science watchdog groups like Health News Review and crowdsourced news organizations like NewsTrust are modeling some innovative ways to monitor information without neutralizing the rich and divergent perspectives that make the Web such a full and fascinating place.

So, which websites and tech tools do you trust to deliver the most uncontaminated truth?

(Disclosure: The author received no commission from BRITA for this free plug. However, she wouldn’t reject a gift card from the company, since she hasn’t had a sip of water since the aforementioned “regurgitation incident.”)

I’ve been thinking about the way that we have all been trained to read online content (and any content, whether news or other, analog or digital) in a fairly passive and solitary way.  Even with the advances in Web 1.0/2.0 regarding feedback loops, etc, it is still a small minority of online readers that seem to approach reading as an active, critical-thinking, directly participatory act.

Clearly, the rise of Web 3.0 social media tools can make reading online a completely proactive, multilateral act with lots of feedback and sharing and re-envisioning and re-crafting of original content, completely transforming the way people interact with information on the web.  (It’s no secret that our hope for SpinSpotter is to be among the catalysts that enable this kind of transformation.)

We need to train/remind/encourage each other to approach “reading” online as an interactive act, one that requires critical or active thinking, not simply passive reception of information to consume.  In this scenario, reading becomes something different:  a conversation between a creator of content and one who consumes it.  This is a fundamental transformation of a long standing, hard-wired human behavior.

Regardless of one’s level of engagement or interests, there is an innate human instinct and trait to be critical, but with wave upon wave of ubiquitous media hitting us we’re starting to lose it.

How can we encourage people to be critical and proactive when they surf the web?  To make their voices heard?  Every web surfer (especially those that wield the swords of social media) has the potential to be an agent for change (for whatever change they desire, however frivolous or serious.)

But in order to realize this they have to think differently when they surf the web, and remember that now there are easy, direct means of objecting, agreeing, protesting, recasting, policing, criticizing, sharing, etc, pick your verb, in one’s effort to eliminate the noise and get to a version of the truth about a topic that feels right.

Reuters has soothing news for you: President Obama has promised a fresh-start with the “Muslim World” (read: all Muslims everywhere, even those who may not want a “fresh start”). Rueters has even more soothing news: according to Obama supporter and Muslim member of Congress Keith Ellison, the promise has “already excited the ‘Muslim World.’”

Indeed; it excited some of them enough to burn pictures of President Obama—as he spoke. Note to Reuters: you may use the fact-checking for free.

Balance may not always be easy to provide but, when it so clearly is, it comes across as either negligent, lazy or dishonest to not provide it. It would be wise of newsrooms to monitor the blogosphere as much as they monitor CNN.

We’ve been at this a few months now and I continue to feel the same enthusiasm and mission-like attitude as on day one.  All of us on the team have always aspired to marry vocation and avocation in a single business pursuit.  In the arc of our careers, there are rare points in time where certain circumstances, personalities and ideas align to create a context where big, transformational things are possible.  Things that go beyond business and the pursuit of profit.  (Thanks Tim O’Reilly for Rule #1:  Work on things that matter more than money.)  Things that contribute to the greater good around us in enduring ways.

Our mission is simple and bold:  powering people to bring truth and transparency to information on the web.  Gulp.

We’re all passionate about this, and while we have a long way to go to realize this vision and lots of obstacles in the way, we also believe deeply in journey as reward.  And the road ahead is as exciting as it is unpredictable.  We invite anyone listening to hop in and join us on this journey.

One more thing we believe, and something essential to everything we do:  openness, authenticity, humility, and an always-on, 2-way feedback loop.  We are an enabler business, where the power and wisdom of the crowd far exceeds anything we can do ourselves.

Today we launched another version of our product to support Internet Explorer (along with our Firefox toolbar already live.)  You’ll also see some updates to the website in terms of what our product can enable across all categories of online information. We think SpinSpotter can have broad appeal regardless of one’s interests.  Whether you’re a news junkie seeking unbiased reporting, looking for truthful product reviews, reading a Wikipedia entry, or evaluating someone’s LinkedIn profile or anything else online – you should be able to ask “Is that true?” and get an answer that gives you confidence.   (Thus the origin of our new tagline you will see on our homepage.)

Please have a look.  Download the Spinoculars plug-in if you haven’t already and experiment a little while you’re surfing the web (installation is free and easy, and should take less than a minute, really.) Then tell us what you think.  If you think there is merit to what we are doing, than hold on and continue with us on this journey.  If you don’t, then easily uninstall the plug-in and say no thanks.  Either way, please say something!  We listen carefully.

We’re hoping to keep on a regular, monthly product release cycle, where new features are regularly added.  (And as you are probably painfully aware, we have lots of features, many basic and some advanced, that we are in great need of providing to you quickly…)  For starters, in the near future we’ll be adding features that make it much easier for SpinSpotters to share ideas, navigate to great content, and stay plugged into the world of Spin.

Thank you.  And sorry for the long-winded hello.  (Brevity is not my forte…) This movement (seriously, that’s how we think of it) will be built on the foundation you can help build. If you have any questions, ideas or criticisms, we’d love to hear them.  You can reach me directly at david@spinspotter.com

David Camp

It would be an understatement to say that journalists are strapped for time and resources. I read about their fight for survival every day in places like Publishing2.0, EatSleepPublish, and The Knight Digital Media Center’s Online Journalism Review. And, as one who studied print journalism in college and has worked at a few news organizations over the years, I’ve seen what the pressure to pump out stories and fill column space can do to journalists. It’s not pretty.

But hiding conflicts of interest? Putting words in the mouths of your sources? Relying on one “expert” source to be the backbone of your story? Making leaps to associate Google, a tea kettle, and the destruction of our planet? News flash: Generating hype based on bad research is NOT OK, people.

In case you missed it, check out the original Times of London piece, and then a TechCrunch article that debunks the parts that needed debunking.

Wouldn’t you agree that stories like these only confirm our critical need for media watchdogs, fact-checkers, and SpinSpotters? I mean, if we turn our heads and let inaccuracies infest the Web, our planet may not combust, but our heads certainly might.

Do we need more proof that this morning’s press conference -the last by President Bush as our leader- that both the New York Times and Fox News have -and readily write toward- their points-of-view?

The Times claims that Bush was “elegiac” (that means, by the way, he was lamenting his term).

Fox News, of course, says that Bush was “Reflective.”

This is a real life stunner to me. I don’t say that as a Spin Spotter, I say that as a fan of journalism. I have met enough reporters to know they care about their craft and they care about the truth. They value the feedback; I know that to be true. Because of that, I am what I said I was about this article: stunned … after you read, tell me, are you?

CNN somehow succeeded in writing a piece about President-elect Obama’s pick of former Chief of Staff to President Clinton, Leon Panetta, for Director of the CIA without reporting on any specific piece of criticism of that pick. CNN found no specific criticism from CIA Officials, former CIA Officials, Senator Dianne Feinstein or retired Generals. CNN found nothing but this vague, silly statement, provided in a Article SpinSpotter page, and yes, I did the de-spin myself.

Strong Emotions ... No need for specifics

CNN, though, had no problem finding detailed praise, lots of it. Praise of Panetta should be easy to find; he seems like a decent chap; he hasn’t tried to sell a Senate seat we know of and, last I checked, hadn’t solicited sex in a bathroom stall.

But, criticism of Panetta, who has no experience of any kind gathering intelligence or acting upon it -detailed, thoughtful, some “strongly emotional criticism”, from a variety of diverse sources- is so easy to find it took me five minutes. Click here to see what I found (scroll down to comments after you click). After you do that,  ask yourself, if some goofball in Seattle can do this, why can’t CNN?

The battle between Israel and Palestine isn’t just happening at a distance. It’s happening on our doorsteps, on our laptops, on our living room TVs.

Wherever and whenever we’re receiving our news, we’re ingesting a brutal word-war. It’s a rhetorical blame-game presented as objective news, and since we’re not there to see the stories unfold in person, we’re left to trust the narratives of mainstream media outlets like the A.P., Fox News, and The New York Times, to name a few. What one reporter names a “terrorist,” another calls a “soldier.” The connotations are loaded. The stories are lop-sided. The words are hand-picked. If you’ve ever asked, “Hang on, is that true?” while reading these stories, then you know what I mean.

As playwright Samuel Beckett said, “Words are all we have.” And if he was right, then we all have a key opportunity staring us in the face, which is this: to call out and correct disinformation on the Web. Wherever we can. Whenever we can. For starters, we can jump into conversations like this one. We can applaud or de-spin sites like Honest Reporting (at one end of the spectrum) and If Americans Knew (at the other). We can listen, educate, participate, and–I hope–get a few steps closer to the truth.

Now’s your chance to set the story straight.