Check News

On the Internet, search engines answer questions with millions of results. How could Libération help people navigate accurate search results and fight back against false information online?

Despite the actions taken by web giants against fake news, misinformation continues to spread on the internet. Could journalists help? After having been a pioneer in France by creating Désintox dedicated to fact checking online information, Libération would place the journalist at the heart of verification.

In collaboration with Wunderman Thompson Paris, Libération and its Debunking department launched CheckNews.fr, a site where investigative journalists replace computer algorithms to assess the accuracy of online information. Libération’s search engine was managed by its journalists for the presidential election debate, and the site has since become the leading information verification site in France.

A study revealed that one in four users shared a link on social media about French presidential election sources that were sharing fake news. The study was published by social networking consultant Bakamo, which analyzed nearly eight million links between November 2016 and early April 2017.