PA MEDIA EXTENDS FACT-CHECKING SERVICE TO COVER REAL-TIME RESPONSES TO MAJOR STORIES
London 23 September 2024 – PA Media, the 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.
It will now incorporate a real-time response to major incidents where mis- and disinformation is spreading. Partnering with Full Fact, the UK’s largest fact checking charity working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information, PA Media 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. 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.”
ENDS
About PA Media Group
PA Media Group is a diverse portfolio of specialist media companies spanning news & information, data, technology, marketing and communications. Our flagship brand, PA Media, is the UK and Ireland’s national news agency.
Alongside PA Media, the Group is also the parent company of Alamy, a stock imagery business; Sticky, a digital marketing agency; Hydrogen, a social media agency; the video streaming business, StreamAMG and iRace and PA Betting Services, specialist providers of data, content and related services to the betting sector. Other brands include PA TV Metadata, PA Mediapoint and the PA Media Academy. PA Media Academy is a leading centre for journalism, communications, media and content training, running in-person, remotely-delivered and online courses for UK and global clients. PA Media Group also owns stakes in the financial news provider, Alliance News, and automotive content business Baize Group.
PA Media Group has 20 shareholders, who are mainly UK news and media businesses. The largest shareholders include DMGT plc, Informa plc, News UK plc and Reach plc.
Full Fact is the UK’s largest fact-checking charity working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information.
About the Google News Initiative
The Google News Initiative works with publishers and journalists to fight misinformation, share resources and build a diverse and innovative news ecosystem.
