Using Our.News to cut thru COVID-19 misinformation
As you know, there’s a lot of misinformation online about COVID-19. Many of our users have asked how to best use Our.News’ Nutrition Labels for News to cut through this, and how they can do their part to help to stop its spread.
Getting Started
If you haven’t already used Our.News, start by checking out our Howto guide, and consider downloading our free browser extensions or mobile app. You can also open our Nutrition Labels for News on our website.
You can also learn more about us on TechCrunch.
How to report problematic content
If you see something, say something! Many users have already reported COVID-19 misinformation, by adding the problematic link to our index, and then making either a Junk, False, or Other rating. You can add links thru our browser extensions, mobile app, and website, as you normally would.
How to check problematic content
Start by using our tools as you normally would — open the browser extensions or mobile app while you’re reading any article, blog post, Tweet, or FB post.
Once opened, follow the normal process:
- Check the publisher & author.
- Look at the fact checks.
- Check the sources & reviews.
- Look at the public opinion.
- Finally, add your own rating.
How does Our.News address COVID-19 specifically?
Our Nutrition Labels for News are designed to work across any topic, including the COVID-19 pandemic and surrounding misinformation. We’ve recently made several technology improvements, including:
- The Labels now automatically display fact-checks from seven IFCN-certified fact-checkers, including: AP Fact Check, Check Your Fact, Factcheck.org, Politifact, Poynter, the Washington Post Fact Checker, and the Washington Examiner Fact Checkers.
- We’ve identified several hundred publishers who have repeatedly shared problematic content surrounding COVID-19. A “CAUTION” label will now be displayed on our site, and within our browser extensions, on all articles they publish and on their profile pages.
- On our website, you can now flag news photos as potentially problematic, if you think they’ve been altered. This will alert the photographer and request they verify the authenticity of the photo.
We believe our Nutrition Labels for News are the best way for anyone to cut thru misinformation. We’re always looking to improve, and welcome your questions and suggestions. Please stay tuned for more updates.
Thank you for all you’re doing!
