Rhona Tarrant, who has worked in radio news in New York and Ireland, is taking on a new role inside CBS News that would have been unheard of years ago. Tarrant has been named executive editor of CBS News Confirmed, a new unit focused on misinformation. It launches as artificial intelligence has allowed deepfakes to take root and as the 2024 election cycle heats up.
“The rise of generative AI and online misinformation has made the role of journalists more critical than ever,” said Tarrant in a statement. “I am thrilled to join the exceptional team at CBS News to lead this new unit dedicated to visual verification and fact-checking. Together, we’ll support CBS News’ unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence and empower our audience to sort fact from fiction.”
CBS News Confirmed is a new initiative inside the network that brings together a team of journalists who use data and technology to verify and fact-check questionable videos and reports and explain CBS News’ verification process. CBS News says in the announcement that the Confirmed unit represents an investment in several key areas, including hiring forensic journalists, new training, and state-of-the-art technology, all of which are focused on ensuring the network combats misinformation and ensures the accuracy of its reporting. It falls under the standards and practices team at CBS News.
Tarrant worked from 2014 to 2015 at New York Public Radio WNYC-FM & AM (93.9/820), where, as an assistant producer, she focused on a year-long investigative series that uncovered inaccurate reporting of road traffic deaths in New York. And from 2011 to 2017, Tarrant served as a producer and reporter for RTÉ Radio and Television in Dublin.
Tarrant joins CBS News from Storyful, where she built a team of a dozen journalists who verified social media footage for a newswire serving CBS News and other organizations. There she oversaw all editorial output in North America. Earlier, Tarrant served as deputy editor for Storyful’s team covering Europe and the Middle East.
“Rhona Tarrant is one of the leading journalists and editors working in and breaking new ground in the area of verifying information,” said Senior VP Claudia Milne. “She has developed new tools to uncover misinformation and disinformation and has worked across multiple platforms. Her experience and leadership will be an asset to CBS News Confirmed.”
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