Paris (AFP)
The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday launched the "Journalism trust initiative" (JTI), a platform which aims to fight against disinformation by promoting media considered "trustworthy" at the end of a process. rigorous verification.
Concretely, the association for the defense of press freedom has put online a digital application through which the media can apply to receive the JTI label, at the end of a three-step process, she explained in a commentary. communicated.
First, they will have to self-assess their compliance with the JTI label "standard".
It is a set of professional criteria developed in collaboration with more than 130 organizations and actors from the media, academics, regulators, technology companies, with the founding support of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Agency. France-Presse (AFP).
Secondly, the media will be able to make the results of their self-assessment public, in the form of a transparency report.
Finally, an external audit giving rise to an independent evaluation will be carried out by an accredited certification body.
It is only after all these steps have been completed that the participants in the process will be able to receive the JTI label.
According to RSF, this project represents a radical and innovative step forward in the fight against disinformation ".
"In the current information chaos, fake news, propaganda and hate speech have a competitive advantage over journalism," said association secretary general Christophe Deloire, quoted in the press release.
"JTI is a game-changer initiative by making compliance with professional standards a tangible asset and ultimately a pledge of sustainability for journalism," he added.
With this project, the principles of which were unveiled in 2018, and which is co-funded by the European Commission and Craig Newmark Philanthropies (the philanthropic organization of the founder of the Craigslist site), RSF hopes to encourage the public to turn to reliable media.
JTI could also reassure advertisers and therefore generate more advertising revenue for participants.
The label could also serve as a reference for third parties (regulators, social networks, etc.), and snowball by encouraging media that do not yet meet its criteria to comply with it.
© 2021 AFP