PA Media, a national news agency of the UK and Ireland, has announced an expansion of its fact-checking service, supported by the Google News Initiative.
Originally launched as Election Check 24, with a focus on providing accurate information in the run-up to the UK general election, the fact-checking project which trained almost 400 journalists in digital verification skills and published 112 fact checks, will be extended to run until the end of 2024, added the agency.
PA Media says it will now incorporate a real-time response to major incidents where mis- and disinformation is spreading. Partnering with Full Fact, one of the UK’s largest fact checking charities working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information, PA Media says it will distribute rapid fact checks including comment and analysis from experts, to rebut false narratives around major breaking stories.
PA Media Academy will also offer updated digital verification and training sessions for journalists in newsrooms across the UK and Ireland. PA Media says the Digital Verification course has been designed by journalists with years of experience in fact-checking online information and debunking misinformation. Courses will primarily be delivered remotely to meet the needs of our news partners and will be taught by The Academy’s specialist journalist trainers using interactive news scenarios to accelerate and reinforce learning.
Recent research from the Reuters Digital News Report 2024 showed a growing concern about misinformation, with seven in 10 people in the UK worried about being able to tell the difference between real and fake when it comes to news. To provide an expanded service, allowing publishers and their teams to separate fact from fiction, PA Media will build on the demand from customers to enhance the original initiative by:
- Distributing a comprehensive fact-checking service on topical issues of the day, including health, the economy, education and immigration for example, and exploring innovative way to present them to a younger generation, including video.
- Updating digital verification and training sessions for newsrooms across the UK and Ireland to add to the current course offerings.
- Expanding fact-checking support by providing greater two-way engagement and by offering secondments for journalists from partner organisations to work alongside the PA Media team.
Wesley Johnson, head of production at PA Media, said: “There’s no doubt that our collaboration with fact-checking organisations has improved the ability of publishers to provide verified information that the public can trust amongst a sea of fake news. Growing the service to cover new areas and major incidents means that we are providing an additional layer of much-needed support for the industry to maintain credibility and trust, both of which have always been at the core of PA Media’s business.”
Chris Morris, chief executive of Full Fact, commented: “Participating in Election Check 24 gave Full Fact the ability to spot and call out bad information at source in the most fast-moving political environment for years. We're delighted to continue our work with PA Media and excited about the reach, credibility, and impact available to this unique partnership tackling misinformation.”
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