PA Media, a UK and Ireland national news agency, has announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at combating mis- and disinformation related to the upcoming general election.
Election Check 24 is a coalition of news publishers and fact-checkers brought together by PA Media, supported by the Google News Initiative, to ensure that information is accurate, reliable and factually correct.
PA Media says its fact-checking operation is accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and the new project will operate as a network of news publishers and fact-checkers who will help identify misinformation. It will provide news publishers with comprehensive fact checks free of charge, as well as explainers and analysis from PA and its partners.
It comes ahead of UK voters going to the polls in an election which will bring challenges for publishers, platforms and journalists in terms of identifying correct information in the midst of unreliable claims, fake accounts and AI-generated images and video.
Local, national and international news publishers who join the coalition will also be offered free, in-person, two-hour digital verification training sessions for their newsroom, run by the PA Media Academy, and giving advice on improving the skills of journalists in identifying and tackling mis- and disinformation.
Wesley Johnson, head of production at PA Media, commented: “The coming election will present a series of challenges the like of which we haven’t yet seen in terms of separating truth from falsehoods and misrepresentation. As a trusted partner at the heart of the UK’s media ecosystem, we see a real benefit in providing a service for publishers and journalists that can wade through a huge volume of information to offer much-needed veracity when they are already under resource and time pressures.
“We’re grateful for the robust support of the Google News Initiative and hope that like-minded partners will join this coalition in order to strengthen the integral role of the media in holding politicians and parties to account and ultimately in upholding a democratic election process.”
News publishers and fact-checkers can join the coalition and start receiving the checks from today by emailing: electioncheck24@pamediagroup.com.
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