Evaluation of Social Media Sources

"World's First GM Babies born" Daily Mail Account via Storify

• Credibility - The author is affiliated with with the Daily Mail, which is a news site dedicated to reporting in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Michael Hanlon is science journalist and a brief search does reveal that he has had years of journalism experience.
• Location - Michael Hanlon is based in the U.K., not in America, in which the topic takes place, but it is not as if he is far removed from the situation or sources on the topic.
• Network - The Guardian, a well-known news site based in the U.K., has called Michael Hanlon a "top science writer".
• Content - The claims made in the piece can be corroborated from another article found in the New York Times. 
• Contextual updates - Hanlon has not previously reported on the genetic modification of human embryos, but he often writes about other scientific topics.
• Age - The account is two years old, so it is fairly recent but not too young.
• Reliability - The Daily Mail and Michael Hanlon appear to be reliable based on the credibility of the content and the author.

"Trusting the Future? Ethics of Human Genetic Modification" LiveScience via Storify

• Credibility - Stephanie Saulter, the author, is a well known novelist and writer. A brief search reveals that she is a popular writer and blogger, with almost 1,000 followers.
• Location - Saulter is based in the U.K., not America where the bulk of the topic takes place, but she is not writing from a radically different cultural perspective so this does not seem to be a factor.
• Network - Saulter is followed mostly by readers and does not appear to have a professional network.
• Content - Content can also be corroborated by an article in the New York Times (see above)
• Contextual updates - Saulter does not appear to have other posts on this particular topic, but as a science fiction writer, has interest in similar topics.
• Age - The account is two years old, again, fairly recent but not too recent.
• Reliability - The author does not have a scientific background and thus this article would not be a source for determining the scientific accuracy or validity of the study. However, this is an excellent opinions piece that highlights the cultural perception of the topic at hand.