ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2022) – The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, announces a partnership with Google and YouTube to support fact-checking initiatives worldwide and reduce the harm of misinformation. Google and YouTube are providing the IFCN a $13.2 million grant, which includes a $12 million Global Fact Check Fund primarily for verified signatories to the IFCN’s Code of Principles.
At least 135 fact-checking organizations from 65 different countries covering over 80 languages adhere to the code that promotes high standards of transparency and nonpartisanship for fact-checkers. Countries include the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Nepal, Ukraine, Norway, Spain, Taiwan, South Africa, India and the United Kingdom.
“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.”
“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,” said Olivia Ma, Managing Director, Global News Programs and Ecosystem at Google.
The associated grants distributed through this new fund will support fact-checking organizations at varying stages of their development. Dollar amounts will be adjusted to equalize the purchasing power of the fact-checking organizations’ home nation. Details of grant distribution will be announced in 2023.
In addition to the grants to directly strengthen and expand fact-checking, Google and YouTube will offer supplemental financial support for 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.
In addition to providing the financial support, members of the Google and YouTube teams are working with the IFCN community to explore cooperation, analytics and tools that fact-checkers need to fight disinformation on specific platforms, and to expand resources to non-English speaking nations.
“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.
To learn more about the IFCN, visit poynter.org/ifcn.
Media Contact:
Tina Dyakon
Senior Director
The Poynter Institute
tdyakon@poynter.org
727-553-4343
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is a gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), MediaWise and PolitiFact are all members of the Poynter organization.
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