New Delhi, July 1st, 2024– Jagran New Media’s internationally awarded and trusted fact-checking wing, Vishvasnews.com, participated in the International Fact-Checking Network's (IFCN) Global Fact 11 Annual Event, the world’s largest gathering of fact-checkers, held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This prestigious summit brings together fact-checkers, journalists, and professionals from around the world to collaborate, innovate, and explore effective strategies for combating misinformation.
Hosted by the IFCN, the three-day conference at the 11th annual Global Fact meeting saw 127 fact-checking organisations from 80 countries convened to issue the ‘Sarajevo Statement,’ emphasising their commitment to freedom of expression and access to information. Jagran New Media's participation in representing Vishvas.News at this global event demonstrates its commitment to supporting such global initiatives that promote media literacy and combat misinformation worldwide, providing accurate information to the public.
Rajesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief of Jagran New Media, emphasized the importance of robust fact-checking mechanisms in today's world, stating, "In an era where misinformation can spread rapidly and influence public opinion, the role of fact-checkers has never been more crucial. At Vishvas.News, we recognize the immense responsibility we bear, particularly in a diverse country like India with its vast digital user base and multiplicity of languages and cultures. This is our 6th year at the conference, and our engagement over the years is a testament to our commitment to enhancing our fact-checking capabilities, learning from international best practices, and fostering global collaborations to combat the scourge of misinformation. Through such platforms, we are committed to empowering citizens with credible information, ensuring informed decision-making, and preserving the integrity of public discourse."
During the three-day event, Bharat Gupta, CEO, Jagran New Media and President of the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) and a member of the IFCN board, delivered an insightful address on "Regional Networks: Experiences and Challenges." He showcased the success of collaborative projects during India's recent General Election, including the Shakti election fact-checking collective and the Deep Fakes Analysis Unit (DAU). He highlighted the importance of collaboration, regional networks, and adapting global best practices to suit India's diverse fact-checking ecosystem, legal framework, and emerging needs. Notably, the MCA's DAU, supported by Meta, received the Most Innovative Collaboration award at the GlobalFact Awards on June 28, 2024.
Jatin Gandhi, Executive Editor of Jagran New Media, skillfully moderated a session on "Findings from the Indian elections," highlighting the MCA's collaborative efforts and emphasizing the importance of unity over competition in achieving success. Devika Mehta, Deputy Editor, Vishvas.News also spoke at the session "Regional Focus and Media Literacy, introducing the "Sach Ke Sathi Seniors'' project, an initiative by Vishvas.News aimed at empowering senior citizens in India by enhancing their media literacy skills. The other attendees from Vishvas.News included Gaurav Arora, COO of Jagran New Media; Rajesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief; along with Pallavi Mishra.
Vishvasnews.com, a fact-checking wing of JNM, has played a pivotal role in empowering readers with factual and credible information. Vishvas.News conducted the seventh edition of its flagship and award-winning media literacy and awareness program, Sach Ke Sathi: Seniors, in multiple Indian languages and added literacy around deep fakes to the curriculum. Vishvas.News worked with Meta, Google News Initiative, IFCN, MICA Ahmedabad, and IIT Kharagpur to expand fact-checking as well as media and digital literacy operations this year. Vishvas.News introduced AI Literacy videos (Bridging the Gap series) and media literacy video series, which won at the AFAQS Media Brand Awards. To empower fact-checkers in India, Vishvas.News hosted a fact-checking workshop on “Tools Review 2023” for South Asian fact-checkers by the award-winning author and journalist, Craig Silverman. Additionally, a recent collaboration with the Google News Initiative and other key fact-checking partners to launch Project Shakti ahead of the 2024 Indian General Elections played a crucial role in empowering Indian voters with credible and factual information during elections.
About Vishvasnew.com:
Vishvas.News is India’s leading fact-checking and verification portal, with a dedicated editorial team to identify, verify, and authenticate news. It is available in 12 languages, including Hindi, English, Punjabi, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, and Gujarati. Vishvas News has a dedicated team of certified and trained fact-checkers who make sure that any viral claim or potential misinformation is cross-checked and debunked without any fear or favour, following the organisation’s editorial policy and IFCN’s Code of Principles. It provides stories that come from genres including politics, sports, health, sanitation, law and justice, education, environment, employment, innovation, science, etc.
About Jagran New Media:
Jagran New Media has a reach of over 97.5 million users (*Comscore MMX Multi-Platform; March 2024) and has consolidated its position amongst the top news and information publishers in India. The company publishes multimedia content, which includes over 7,000 stories and 40 videos in a day. JNM is committed to producing factual & credible content that empowers New India with Knowledge, Information, and voice towards an Inclusive and progressive Society. The company has dedicated websites covering National & Hyperlocal news which include www.jagran.com, www.naidunia.com, www.inextlive.com, www.punjabijagran.com, www.gujaratijagran.com, and english.jagran.com. A leading health website https://www.onlymyhealth.com in 3 languages, a women focus portal www.herzindagi.com in 3 languages, and a focused website for education www.jagranjosh.com. A leading fact-checking website www.vishvasnews.com in 12 languages and a gaming vertical www.jagranplay.com, an in-house production house, Rocketship Films, an e-commerce portal Khojle.com also contribute to the offering.