OUTCOME

Storyful identified the women seen in some of the videos, and by watching the story develop over time, showed that those women were from Sweida and identified sources on the ground who could provide corroborating information.

As a result of Storyful’s reporting, a number of named individuals (activists, reporters, and the women themselves or their families) became sources for partner newsrooms in telling the story, or investigating the hostage-taking. We catalogued and archived a series of videos showing the victims.

This case study deals with content of a sensitive nature. The videos are not graphic, but the hostages are clearly identifiable in them. While this meant that Storyful was able to establish their identities and follow their stories, it presented ethical challenges about how those stories should be publicised.