Google announced today that it will allocate $ 6.5 million to health news auditors and not-for-profit organizations as part of strengthening its fight against media misinformation about the emerging corona virus.
Alexeius Mantzarlis of "Google News Lab" said that news health auditing organizations, which often work on a budget, are recording a great demand for their services due to the spread of false and false news about the epidemic.
"Uncertainty and fear make us more vulnerable to inaccurate information, so we support auditors with the health of the news as they face a huge rise in demand for their services," he said.
A report by the Poynter Institute last year on the status of the news health audit service indicated that more than a fifth of the organizations active in this field were operating with an annual budget of less than $ 20,000.
"We support news validation projects in the world, with a focus on the worst affected areas behind the pandemic," Mantzarless told AFP.
He added that "Google" is working to use its products and "environment" to strengthen the fight against media misinformation accompanying Covid-19.
He pointed out that "Google News Innovation" increased its support for the "FirstDraft" organization, which provides resources, training and crisis simulation exercises for journalists covering events during crises. He stressed that Google also supports the creation of a database of public health resources dedicated to journalists.