Craig Newmark Foundation to Support TruthBuzz, ICFJ’s Global Fact-Checking Challenge

By: ICFJ | 03/04/2017

Fake news orbits the planet in an instant on social media. Is the truth keeping pace?

Journalists, news sites and sharp-eyed citizens around the world are spotting dubious claims, checking facts and explaining the details to the public. But this debunking is often in the form of long explanations that don’t quickly make a strong case on social media.

With the support of the Craig Newmark Foundation, ICFJ has launched TruthBuzz: The Viral Fact-Checking Contest, a global challenge to invent new ways to help verified facts reach the widest possible audience. The contest is seeking entries that debunk fake news and share solid fact-checking in engaging or entertaining ways that are instantly understandable and shareable. ICFJ will welcome entries in any digital format (e.g., video, cartoon, graphic, .gif, photo, audio file) and in seven languages.

“We need new thinking when it comes to fact-checking,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan. “This competition will do just that. It will arm journalists with new ways to tell the truth that are instantly compelling.”

ICFJ is hosting a webinar to answer questions and help prospective applicants refine their ideas. The winning entries will appear on a public site where the global truth-telling community can engage with and learn from the entries.

"As a news consumer, I want news I can trust," Newmark said. "This contest can find and share exciting new ways to help fact-checkers spread the truth."

About ICFJ

To meet the urgent need for reliable information, ICFJ promotes a professional journalism whose primary goal is to seek the truth. We help journalists use best practices and new technologies to improve the quality of news media. Above all, we empower them to serve their communities by producing trustworthy coverage in these unsettled times.

We believe that better journalism leads to better lives.

About the Craig Newmark Foundation

Based in San Francisco, the Craig Newmark Foundation is a private foundation created by craigslist founder Craig Newmark to support and connect non-profit communities and drive powerful civic engagement

Related Programs
TruthBuzz: Making the Truth Go Viral
News Category
Press Release
Topics
Media Innovation
Country/Region
Worldwide

Latest News

Sustaining Journalism in Exile: New Toolkit Released

Once in exile to escape threats and danger, journalists soon face a new set of challenges: how to sustain their careers, communities and reporting from afar. ICFJ’s International Journalists’ Network (IJNet), in collaboration with the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO), has expanded its Exiled Media Toolkit to include a

IJNet Journalist of the Month: Amr Eleraqi

Originally from Egypt, Amr Eleraqi is a journalist, author and instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. He is the founder of the award-winning data journalism website, InfoTimes, and a former ICFJ Knight Fellow. His latest book, on Python coding skills for journalists, was released at the start of this year. Eleraqi spoke with IJNet about his start in journalism, media in both the Middle East and Canada, his new book project and more.

How to Cover Global Trade Like a Pro: Tariffs Edition

Tariffs, essentially taxes on imported goods, have been at the core of cross-border trade since the days of ancient Athens and Mesopotamia. They can protect domestic industries, generate revenue, or act as political tools. For journalists, tariffs often provide a clear, tangible hook to explain the much broader and more complex web of international commerce or the realities of geopolitical machinations.