Rhona Tarrant, executive editor of CBS News Confirmed, is set to deliver the annual Marie Colvin Distinguished Lecture on February 26. The lecture titled “The New Battlefield: Open Source Investigations into Conflict and Disinformation” will discuss the increasing role of open source verification in conflict reporting. This event is organized by the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting at Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism.
Marie Colvin was a renowned war correspondent known for her fearless reporting on crimes against humanity. She was killed in 2012 during a targeted attack by the Syrian regime under Bashar Al-Assad, who was overthrown last December.
Colvin's death highlighted the dangers faced by international correspondents working in conflict zones and investigating autocratic regimes. It also contributed to the growth of open source journalism, which utilizes social media verification and digital tools to counter disinformation and reveal abuses of power. These methods have become integral to modern journalism alongside traditional on-the-ground reporting.
“In countries where people may not be allowed to openly show dissent or may face retaliation if they oppose whoever is in power, the ability to post videos on social media — through anonymous Facebook pages, for example — has been extremely powerful,” said Rhona Tarrant. “That is why it is important for newsrooms outside these countries to be able to find and verify this content, give it context, and make sure that it gets into news reporting.”
Tarrant transitioned from radio and TV to video verification as social media became a key component of journalism. Now serving as executive editor at CBS News Confirmed, she leads efforts in visual verification, open source investigations, and combating disinformation including AI-generated deepfakes.
Laura Lindenfeld, dean of SoCJ and executive director of the Alda Center for Communicating Science stated: “What a remarkable opportunity it is for us to host Rhona here on the Stony Brook campus.” She emphasized that interacting with industry leaders like Tarrant provides students with valuable insights into contemporary issues in journalism.
Tarrant plans to discuss how social media has evolved from a technological advancement capturing real-time events to being used by groups aiming to distort truth. She will address challenges newsrooms face amidst widespread misinformation.
Sarah Baxter, director of the Colvin Center noted: “Journalism is constantly breaking new frontiers and Rhona is a pioneer in an expanding field.” Baxter emphasized that open source intelligence plays a crucial role in uncovering corruption, human rights abuses, war crimes while establishing truth amidst disinformation.
The lecture will be held at Charles B. Wang Center Theater with refreshments at 5:30 pm followed by the talk at 6 pm. The event is free and open to all; reservations can be made online.
— Melanie Formosa