How can readers tell fact from fiction?
In the last five years, “fake news” stories with malicious intent have proliferated. How can we trust the source of news?
Fake news threatens trust in media. Research by MIT Media Lab found that “lies disseminate farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth and falsehoods are 70% more likely to be retweeted than the truth.”1 On a wider level, disinformation “diminishes the quality of democracy. It saps trust in democratic institutions, distorts electoral processes and fosters incivility and polarization online,” according to an EU report.2
Truth vs falsehood in media
70%more likely for falsehood to be retweeted than the truth.
For the traditional media, fake news poses a threat to the legitimacy of the stories that news agencies write and distribute, which can undermine the reputation that news agencies and outlets are keen to sustain and preserve.
One such agency is Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA), the #1 news agency in Italy.3 Headquartered in Rome, ANSA, whose members and owners are leading news organizations, and its mission is the distribution of fair and objective news reporting.
ANSA wanted to take a stand and innovate their way of working and promoting content to preserve their legacy in the industry, providing their readers a warranty of their quality.
They asked, “How can we ensure trust in the origin of the news we read?”