In an effort to counter fake news and misinformation in India, Google News Initiative (GNI) has announced a $1 million grant for Internews, a news literacy organisation.
The funding support is part of Google's broader, $10-million commitment to media literacy.
According to Google, the grant will work towards building a strong network of senior reporters and journalists, who will counteract fake news in India.
Google’s initiative will focus on delivering news literacy, especially in the non-metro cities. Under the programme, Internews will put together a team of 250 journalists, fact-checkers, academicians, and NGO workers, who will be trained by global and Indian experts in a curriculum adapted to local needs and available in seven Indian languages. The local leaders will then roll out the training module for new Internet users in non-metro cities in the country, enabling them to better navigate the Internet and assess the information they find.
“In over 300 boot camps, workshops and sessions, we will aim to help at least 25,000 new Internet users learn how to navigate the maze of online information, understand better the nature and characteristics of content published online and prepare them to help others around them sift the news from the sea of online misinformation,” Internews said on its website.
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