This week's perspective from TD&F Special Teams, com.motion: Let us put the rumors to rest. Gordon Lightfoot has not died, despite what you may have read on Twitter or the media. Although Lightfoot joked about an increase in airplay resulting from the rumour, this situation is a reminder of the importance of vetting sources in a real-time world. Several Canwest media outlets posted news of Gordon Lightfoot’s “death,” going so far as to suggest it had been confirmed by fellow singer Ronnie Hawkins. The story was published broadly, appearing online in the Vancouver Sun, the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald amongst others. Canwest isn’t alone in this kind of gaffe. In the day leading up to the launch of Apple’s iPad, the Wall Street Journal and others fell for a prank by long time tech insider and angel funder, Jason Calcanis, publishing false details and specs about the yet to be released product that Jason had revealed through his Twitter profile. Not so long ago, I read on Twitter that Natalie Portman had died, having fallen off a cliff during work on set. So the Lightfoot resurrection is just the latest in a string of social media-fuelled rumours which have crossed over into mainstream media outlets more concerned with being first than being right. A cautionary tale for all in both new and traditional media – it’s a different world, folks.
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