====== Trusted News Initiative ======

{{ ::p09699z3.jpeg?200|}}

The **Trusted News Initiative (TNI)** is an international alliance of news media, [[social media]] and technology corporations described as a "real-time, early warning system to flag serious disinformation that may pose a threat to life or the integrity of the electoral process."((Fenlon, B. (2021, March 4). //Canadian trust in journalism is wavering. Here’s what CBC News is doing about it.// CBC News. https://archive.ph/6DQuL))

===== History =====

==== Origin ====

The TNI was officially announced in September 2019 following an event called the [[Trusted News Summit]] convened by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] (BBC).((//New collaboration steps up fight against disinformation.// (2019, September 7). BBC. https://archive.ph/HBEuR)) A BBC media release cites "recent events such as the Indian elections" as the inciting incidents leading to the group's creation.((Reality Check Team. (2021, April 19). //India election 2019: The debunked fake news that keeps coming back.// BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47878178)) ((Das, A., & Schroeder, R. (2020, March 10). //Online disinformation in the run-up to the Indian 2019 election.// Information, Communication & Society, 24(12), 1762–1778. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1736123)) ((Poonam, S., & Bansal, S. (2019, March 31). //Indian Misinformation Will Decide World’s Largest Election.// The Atlantic. https://archive.ph/MEkYZ))



==== Shift of Focus ====

In July 2020, the TNI announced it was working to "combat the spread of disinformation during the [[united_states:u.s._presidential_elections:2020|upcoming U.S. Presidential election]]."((Ramachadran, N. (2020, July 13). //System Set Up to Fight Fake News During U.S. Presidential Election.// Variety. https://archive.ph/cTI2m))

Though its initial mandate was related to elections, the TNI announced in March 2020 that it "will extend its efforts to identifying false and potentially harmful [[Coronavirus]] information" - just over two weeks after the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO)'s declaration of the multinational [[SARS-CoV-2]] outbreak as a "[[pandemic]]".((Cucinotta, D., & Vanelli, M. (2020). //WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic.// Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis, 91(1), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.23750/ABM.V91I1.9397)) ((Media Centre. (2020, March 27). //Trusted News Initiative announces plans to tackle harmful Coronavirus disinformation.// BBC. https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/coronavirus-trusted-news)) Then, "with the introduction of several possible new [[COVID-19 vaccines]]" at the end of 2020, the TNI shifted again "to focus on combatting the spread of harmful [[vaccines|vaccine]] disinformation."((Media Centre. (2020, December 10). //Trusted News Initiative (TNI) to combat spread of harmful vaccine disinformation and announces major research project.// BBC. https://archive.ph/MEkYZ))

===== Membership =====

The initial group consisted of the [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU), [[Facebook]], [[Financial Times]], [[First Draft]], [[Google]], [[The Hindu]], and the [[Wall Street Journal]]. Other groups including [[Agence France-Presse|AFP]], [[CBC/Radio-Canada]], [[Microsoft]], [[Reuters]], the [[Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism]], and [[Twitter]] joined the alliance shortly after.

The full list of organizations that have affiliated with the TNI include:((//Trusted News Initiative.// BBC. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://archive.ph/NixlU)) ((Snow, S. (2021, December 26). //Trusted News Initiative: Freedom of the press?// Bonner County Dailer Bee. https://archive.ph/5lmep))

  * [[Agence Grance-Presse|AFP]]
  * [[Associated Press]]
  * [[BBC]]
  * [[CBC/Radio-Canada]]
  * [[Deutsche Press]]
  * [[European Broadcasting Union]]
  * [[Facebook]]
  * [[Financial Times]]
  * [[First Draft]]
  * [[Google]]
  * [[The Hindu]]
  * [[Meta]]
  * [[Microsoft]]
  * [[New York Times]]
  * [[Reuters]]
  * [[Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism]]
  * [[Twitter]]
  * [[Wall Street Journal]]
  * [[Washington Post]]
  * [[YouTube]]
==== Leadership ====

[[Jessica Cecil]] is the Director of the TNI, on behalf of the BBC.((Cecil, J. (2022, February 22). //A new consensus for the post-COVID-19 world: Disinformation.// Paris Peace Forum. https://archive.ph/AAkYU))

===== Work =====

==== Publications ====

Cecil authored an article  published by the [[Paris Peace Forum]] claiming that "disinformation kills", citing "false cures and lies about [[vaccines]]" and invoking the "Capital riots" on January 6th, 2021. She also claimed that individuals spreading "Fake News" are gaining financially. Apparently without realizing the irony, she followed up by applauding [[social media]] organizations increasing funding to pay journalists for "accurate news".((Cecil, J. (2022, February 22). //A new consensus for the post-COVID-19 world: Disinformation.// Paris Peace Forum. https://archive.ph/AAkYU))

===== External links =====

  * [[https://covidtruthinitiative.ca/e/en/Organizations/Trusted-News-Initiative|COVID Truth Initiative]]
  * [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/beyondfakenews/trusted-news-initiative/|Website]]
  * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_News_Initiative|Wikipedia]]
  * [[https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Trusted_News_Initiative|Wikispooks]]