Facebook page on Tuesday morning
December 1, 2015
It is unlikely anyone will be charged following a Facebook fiasco on Tuesday morning which caused many South Burnett residents to believe there had been another tragedy in the local community.
A Nanango woman posted on her personal Facebook page:
“Saddest news, we have lost a family, tree fell on their house and killed single father and two children. Just around the corner at 7 mile diggings …….so sad so very sad, we had a tornado hit. Nobody came nobody cared and a little community has lost lives. AND NO NEWS COVERAGE! It is so true when they say if its not in Brisbane you don’t here about it……..” (sic)
This was then shared by another person to the Higgins Storm Chasing Facebook page, where owner Jeff Higgins re-posted third-hand information under his own name (see right)
Officer-in-charge of Nanango Police, Sgt Jason Newton, told southburnett.com.au he did not believe the original post on the woman’s private page was done with malice.
“I don’t think the person who started it did it with bad intentions,” he said.
Sgt Newton said the woman told police she had made the post after her husband talked to her about a storm tragedy that he believed had happened.
Unfortunately, he had misinterpreted a newspaper front page which showed a photograph of storm damage above the words “Tragedy strikes …”
Higgins Storm Chasing’s Facebook page has more than 461,200 followers so the unverified, unchecked Facebook post quickly went viral.
“It is disappointing when people who have large social media followings fail to conduct adequate fact-checking before publishing stories,” Sgt Newton said.
southburnett.com.au was caught up in the fiasco when we were contacted by a Nanango resident upset the town had been depicted in the woman’s original post as “uncaring”.
We were beginning the process of checking what had been published on Facebook – and what had actually happened – when the Higgins Storm Chasing post went viral.
Metropolitian media started phoning police; local police contacted South Burnett media suggesting we try to stop the rumours.
We immediately put a promoted post on Facebook and editor Anne Martindale posted on Higgins Storm Chasing’s wall telling them their post was wrong.
This post was deleted.
Shortly afterwards, Nanango Neighbourhood Watch posted on Higgins’ wall asking the page admin to contact Nanango Police.
An hour later, Higgins Storm Chasing posted this:
*ATTENTION PLEASE*
The reported information to Higgins Storm Chasing of the deaths of a single father and his two children near Nanango is NOT true.
Ergon Energy workers did not make such discovery on Saturday after wild storms tore through the area.
On behalf of Higgins Storm Chasing we deeply regret and apologise to our followers, members of the public, Nanango Police, Ergon Energy and Queensland Police Service.
“This is the first time in this pages history reported deaths have been incorrect. We have trusted information from a public source without investigating with local and state authority.
“We have contacted police who have given us advise and information on what to do if reports like this come to us in the future. The rumour was posted publicly on Facebook by a lady in the Nanango region who with such expression of words sounded very believable. I’m very disappointed we based information on trust”
~ Jeff Higgins ~
Sgt Newton said the Facebook posts had wasted the time of police, SES, ambulance and fire brigade as well as Ergon Energy.
He had been told media outlets in Brisbane also had helicopters en route to Nanango to cover a possible breaking story.
Police Media’s release about the matter is to the point:
Unsubstantiated deaths during storm, 7 Mile Diggings (Nanango)
Reports of three deaths following a storm over the weekend at 7 Mile Diggings (near Nanango) cannot be substantiated.
Police have conducted extensive inquiries in the area and with other government agencies. There is no evidence of any such deaths.
- Editorial: It Must Be Real, I Saw It On Facebook
And if charges were likely, what would they be???..
Making a mischief… generating and spreading mis-information… responsiblity for costs of false alarm emergency services callouts… promoting untruths… (unfortunately, there is nothing to say that stupidity of acting without checking details first is a crime)
Higgins Storm Chasing is no more responsible than the woman who originally posted the false story. Having more followers should not increase your legal burden. If you want to go on a witch hunt, include her too.