Press release
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international non-profit organisation defending the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism, and Newsback, a media repository that tracks the source and authenticity of information, have announced a partnership to facilitate the identification of trustworthy news sources.
Newsback is the first repository of media content (print, online and broadcast) to implement and promote RSF’s Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) standard, which aims to make it easier for the public to recognise trustworthy journalism. The Newsback site is now displaying the JTI sign on media sources that have achieved certification.
The JTI partnership coincides with Newsback’s plans to extend its repository of UK media. Newsback shows the journey of a piece of content, right back to its provenance, to demonstrate its authenticity, dissemination, and potential misuse. The Newsback repository currently includes BBC Online and some national and regional newspapers with search history going back three years. This will grow in terms of number of media outlets and search history.
Several media organisations in the UK are in the JTI certification process, which includes internal self-assessment of journalistic policies, public disclosure of that assessment in a transparency report and an independent audit from a licensed, certified body.
The JTI is soon to announce a UK-based certifier that will audit media self-assessments for certification and there are more than 500 certified media outlets around the world, including: France Télévisions, RTÉ News, SWI swissinfo.ch, and CBC/Radio-Canada.
Delphine Gatignol, Director, Newsback said: “Against a backdrop of mass dissemination of disinformation, it has become vital to restore public trust in information and to support access to quality journalism that can foster the development of more informed opinions and decisions.
“The JTI is very much in line with our commitment to the fight against disinformation. Users of the Newsback platform (media, institutions, companies) will now be able to quickly identify JTI certified media and easily find media sources whose reliability is recognised and certified. For organisations and individuals following a story or using content, this is a great way to ensure that information they are referencing is authentic.”
Fiona O’Brien, RSF UK Bureau Director said: “What is so good about the JTI is that it helps consumers know at a glance whether the source they are looking at is trustworthy - something that is increasingly challenging given the volumes of information and disinformation online. Our partnership with Newsback is a great step forward in our attempts to help media users, and also to help good journalism stand out.”
About the Journalism Trust Initiative: JTI
Initiated by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières: RSF) and launched in 2019, the JTI process aims to identify and promote reliable sources of information and trustworthy media. Incorporated in 2022 into the EU Enhanced Code of Practice on Disinformation, the JTI is based on a list of criteria developed with more than 130 organisations and actors from the media industry, academia, tech companies and the media sector.