When the "buffalo" ends up in the newsroom: a delicate issue at the Festival of Food Journalism
From the excessive alarmism for carcinogenic red meat, after the declarations of theWHO, to the alleged fried rat found in a chicken package of a famous American fast food chain, up to Italian law Vegan, which would take effect in the 2017, and at the Nigerian restaurant that cooks human flesh. There Bufala runs on the web and ends, too often, in the editorial office, to then return to run, even faster, on the web.
This will be one of the most delicate issues that will be on the table of Festival of Food Journalism. Thanks to the presence of experts in the field, we will tackle the problem, we will study the causes, we will try to offer possible solutions, so as not to fall into the trap of transforming a clearly invented piece of news into a viral torment. It is, moreover, an increasingly common problem, often caused by websites created with the aim of creating alarmism, which find fertile ground in fear, often in ignorance on the subject, of people, and the need for editorial offices , even the most authoritative, to find the scoop at all costs, "burning" the competition.
They know it well Claudio Michelizza e David Puente, responsible members of the website www.bufale.net, which, from the 2014 to today, have analyzed, studied and defused over 820 hoaxes, a good part of these in the agri-food field. Born almost like a game on facebook, in a short time Bufale.net it has become a website, a reference point for an impressive number of people who only ask for some clarity. A success that has solid foundations, because Michelizza and Puente offer a real service, staying neutral and allowing everyone to say their opinion, creating a dialogue, as constructive as possible, even between different sides.
“Once upon a time there were bar talk, which died out in the bud or, in some cases, became, in the space of one or more years, real urban legends. Today it is the exact same thing, only that on the web it is, of course, all faster ” the two managers of Bufale.net told us.
"Often the buffalo on the net are taken from the local newspaper and, in chain, from the national media, that, for haste and for the necessity to give the news before the others, do not check their sources carefully. The solution would be to wait for the canonical 24 hours, when usually the false news deflates, but unfortunately, often, there is not enough patience".
Bufale.net will bring its experience to the Festival of Food Journalism, "A very useful event to create a community that talks about food, to exchange contacts, information and points of view", they commented Michelizza and Puente. "We are happy to be there when this event is born and to be able to experience it directly from its first steps".
