Google is all about getting the facts straight!
In a new open fund, the company plans to put an end to vaccine misinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is exacerbating a perennial problem of misinformation about immunization,” shared Google in a blog post. “To support additional debunking efforts, the Google News Initiative is launching a COVID-19 Vaccine Counter-Misinformation Open Fund worth up to $3 million.”
Sadly, we do live in a world where thanks to social media, false information can spread quickly. Google aims to prevent a continued COVID-19 infodemic which they share has been global in nature and used to target specific populations.
Their Open Fund is currently accepting applications from projects that are on a mission to widen the audience of fact checks, specifically for those who are more prone and may be disproportionately affected by the misinformation at hand.
Open to new organizations of every size, Google’s new fund is looking for organizations with a proven track record in not only fact-checking but also debunking activities.
“We will prioritize collaborative projects with an interdisciplinary team and clear ways to measure success,” continued the company. “For example, eligible applications might include a partnership between an established fact-checking project and a media outlet with deep roots in a specific community, or a collaborative technology platform for journalists and doctors to jointly source misinformation and publish fact checks.
For more on the Open Fund’s eligibility criteria and how to apply visit the site here.
