PA MEDIA LAUNCHES ‘ELECTION CHECK 24’ – Dedicated fact-checking service will run with support from the Google News Initiative
London, 23rd May 2024 – PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency, has launched 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’s 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 significant 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.
ENDS
For further information:
Amanda Willard, Head of Communications, PA Media Group: (amanda.willard@pamediagroup.com)
Wesley Johnson, Head of Production, PA Media: (wesley.johnson@pa.media)
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 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.
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.
