Poynter, Google, and YouTube Join Forces for Fact-Checking
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) from the Poynter Institute announced late last month that they would be partnering with tech giants Google and YouTube to “support fact-checking initiatives” and reduce the reach and harm of misinformation.
This announcement comes as other internet giants have seen their credibility fall apart: Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk, who actively peddles misinformation from his personal Twitter account; meanwhile, Facebook saw misinformation beat facts on sensitive topics like the COVID-19 pandemic, treatments, and vaccines as well as conspiracy theories on the United States 2020 Presidential election.
“The world needs fact-checking more than ever before. This partnership with Google and YouTube infuses financial support to global fact-checkers and is a step in the right direction,” said Baybars Örsek, executive director of the IFCN. “And while there’s much work to be done, this partnership has sparked meaningful collaboration and an important step.”
The partnership, in this case, is more of a sponsorship: Google and YouTube are providing the IFCN with a $13.2 million grant, which includes a $12 million Global Fact Check Fund primarily for this list of organizations that IFCN has “verified,” or deemed reliable. In addition to these grants, Google and YouTube will give supplemental funds to the IFCN to establish “a neutral and independent selection committee; improve the reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the funded fact-check efforts; and expand the capacity of the IFCN to serve the international fact-checking community.”
Olivia Ma, the Managing Director of Global News Programs and Ecosystem at Google, said:
“Combating misinformation is an ongoing global challenge for society. We take seriously our role in helping to fight misinformation by continually investing in products, programs and partnerships that help people access high-quality information. Expanding Google and YouTube’s work with the IFCN means that more independent fact-checkers around the world will have the tools and capacity to help people make informed decisions.”
YouTube and Google, unlike Facebook and Twitter, have long held harsh standards against certain types of misinformation, most recently, COVID-19 medical misinformation.
“Our mission is to be a catalyst for positive change within the global fact-checking community. We are grateful to Google and YouTube for their commitment to bolster fact-checkers in an ever-increasing environment of mis- and disinformation,” said Örsek.
Google and YouTube will also populate their interfaces with verified fact-checking: Google will offer fact-checks within Google searches, and YouTube will have small fact-check panels that appear at the top of search results. These fact-checks will also provide viewers with additional context that they need in order to fully understand whatever it is they are researching. Currently, these services are only available in six countries, but Google and YouTube aim to roll them out to additional markets.
More details of how grants will be distributed with the program will be available in 2023, and the tech giants will remain an active part of the growth and development of IFCN’s new programs.
