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Facebook And Mozilla Invest In $14M War Against Fake News

Facebook Fake News.VOA News/Wikimedia

Fake news is the vile propaganda empire that pretty much anyone with an ounce of morality is against at this point, but it is still prolific. There are so many publishers, websites, and YouTube channels that spread misinformation like a contagious disease, which then catches on to infect the minds of readers and viewers. In order to combat this trend, a $14 million fund is being given to a non-profit to fight fake news, with Facebook and Mozilla being some of the major investors.

The non-profit in question is News Integrity Initiative and its mandate is to restore the faith of people in journalism. By promoting accurate and informative pieces, while combating the spread of Fake News, the hope is to bring back the integrity of real journalism. The group is also enjoying the support of New York City, along with several leaders in the tech industry, Venture Beat reports.

Recent polls present the worrying conclusion that the world has lost faith in the people who deliver the news, which is a trend that started around the same time when the internet started gaining steam. The web has allowed propaganda groups to spread their message of hate and intolerance much easier, as well as reach a much wider audience.

With Facebook being one of the bigger contributors to this unfortunate development, it was only fitting that it would be one of the biggest supporters of the war against Fake News. The social media site’s head of news partnership, Campbell Brown recently released a statement with regards to its involvement in the non-profit initiative.

“As part of the Facebook Journalism Project, we want to give people the tools necessary to be discerning about the information they see online,” Brown said. “Improving news literacy is a global concern, and this diverse group assembled by CUNY brings together experts from around the world to work toward building more informed communities.”

The spread of Fake News is often blamed for how the most recent US presidential elections turned out, The Daily Mail reports. With tech giants expressing commitment to destroy or at least drive the publishers of misinformation underground, it’s only a matter of time before they accomplish this goal.

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