Reporters Without Borders launches 'trust' qualification for media

France-based non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) introduced its Journalism Trust Initiative on Tuesday (May 18), a platform targeted at battling disinformation by determining and advertising "trustworthy" news sources.

The online tool allows media organisations to use for recognition as a reliable source through a three-step process which includes self-assessment and an external audit.

RSF hopes it'll inspire third parties, including Search on the internet engines and social media companies, to differentiate more evidently between resources of information.

In a statement, the organisation described it as a "game-changing transparency tool ... with the purpose of creating a healthier news ecosystem, determining and rewarding efficient reporting and restoring audiences' confidence in journalism most importantly".

The project was initially announced in 2018 and has been co-funded by the European Commission and Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

"In today's information chaos, falsehoods, propaganda and hate speech have a competitive advantage over journalism," stated Christophe Deloire, secretary general of RSF.

"If you want to escape this downward spiral, we need to reverse the logic by incentivising journalism through a reliable third-party mechanism."

RSF pointed to a recently available analysis by Edelman Trust, a study group, which found that 74 % of Internet users are concerned about disinformation on social media.

The brand new tool was built in collaboration with 130 groups and people representing the media, academia, tech companies and regulatory bodies and is primarily obtainable in English, French, German and Spanish.

"Whether news organisations elect a light option of self-assessment of editorial processes, applying the (Journalism Trust Initiative) internet app, or opt for full audited certification, the proceed to explicit standards can help identify newsrooms with trusted processes," explained Vincent Peyregne, CEO of the Environment Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.