Two of the largest news publications in the country, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters, have teamed up with one of the leading tech giants, Twitter, in a new partnership to crack down on “misinformation” and “elevate credible information,” the Daily Caller reports.
Twitter confirmed the new alliance in a blog post, saying that the two publications would be responsible for identifying “misleading” information, and to help Twitter expand its efforts to mediate trending stories, “especially where facts are in dispute.” The websites will also help Twitter staff whenever they lack “sufficient expertise or access to a high enough volume of reputable reporting.”
“This program is just part of our ongoing efforts to help people understand the conversation happening on our service,” the Twitter blog post continued. “People experience a range of public conversations on Twitter every day, and we’re committed to continuing our work to elevate credible information and context.”
Tom Januszewski, a spokesman for the Associated Press, said that the AP aims “to expand the reach of factual journalism.” Reuters’ Hazel Baker made the questionable claim that “trust, accuracy, and impartiality are at the heart of what Reuters does every day,” and that “those values drive our commitment to stopping the spread of misinformation.”
Twitter, along with other Big Tech platforms, have significantly increased their efforts to crack down on political dissent in recent months, most notably by permanently banning President Donald Trump in January, while he was still the sitting President of the United States. Other platforms such as YouTube and Facebook have either outright banned, or attached “warning labels” to, content that raises doubts about the 2020 presidential election, the efficiency of coronavirus restrictions, and other controversial subjects.