meta-teams-up-with-pti-india-s-news-giant-joins-fight-against-misinformation

India's prominent news agency, Press Trust of India (PTI) has recently joined Meta's Third Party Fact-Checking Partnership (3PFC) programme to combat misinformation spread across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

 

Meta's move to onboard India's prominent news agency comes comes at a crucial juncture as the nation gears up for the Lok Sabha elections.

 

Vijay Joshi, CEO & Editor-in-Chief of PTI, expressed optimism about the collaboration, stating, "By joining Meta's 3PFC program, PTI Fact Check's reach and impact will be significantly amplified. This collaboration will strengthen the fight against misinformation in India's digital landscape and empower users to navigate the online world with greater confidence."

 

Founded in 1947, PTI stands as one of Asia's oldest and largest news agencies, boasting an extensive network of correspondents both within India and globally, delivering news coverage through text, video, photographs, and infographics.

 

Meta's initiative aims to fortify its third-party fact-checking network by partnering with independent organizations certified by the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), which evaluates, reviews, and rates viral misinformation across Meta platforms.

Globally, Meta has established the largest independent fact-checking network of any platform, comprising nearly 100 partners reviewing and rating viral misinformation in over 60 languages.

 

PTI, renowned for its credibility and adherence to journalistic ethics, emerges as a valuable addition to Meta's fact-checking endeavors.

 

PTI Fact Check, established in 2022, operates with a dedicated team of experienced journalists, employing rigorous methodologies such as cross-referencing information with credible sources, consulting experts, and data analysis to verify the accuracy of online claims.

 

Meta's 3PFC programme operates through partnerships with independent fact-checkers, who review and rate the accuracy of content shared on Meta platforms. Misleading content flagged by fact-checkers is labeled accordingly, directing users to factual information, thereby disrupting the spread of misinformation.

 

"With nearly 100 organisations globally, our fact-checking programme has expanded since 2016. The focus is on addressing viral misinformation, particularly clear hoaxes lacking factual basis. Fact-checking partners prioritize probably false claims that are timely, trending, and consequential," according to a statement by Meta.

 

With the addition of PTI, Meta now has 12 fact-checking partners in India, marking it as the country with the most third-party fact-checking partners globally across Meta platforms.

 

The 3PFC Indian language coverage encompasses 16 languages, facilitated by existing fact-checking partners, including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Punjabi, Assamese, Manipuri/ Meitei, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kashmiri, Bhojpuri, Oriya, and Nepali, besides English.