For the last year or so, Google has been highlighting fact-check articles with a special tag on its search results and Google News pages. That's not going to stop some people from believing whatever they want to, but it was an easy way to give those who still care about facts access to the right information. Today, Google is expanding this efforts through a partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute.
The IFCN launched in September 2015 and the organization provides in-person and online training for fact checkers, fund fellowships and publishes a code of principles for fact checking. Organizations ranging from the Associated Press to the Washington Post, PolitiFact and Factcheck.org, Correctiv in Germany, Aos Fatos in Brazil and Africa Check have signed on to the IFCN's principles.
Google's plan is to use this partnership to help increase the number of verified fact checkers, expand the concept of fact checking to more regions by translating the IFCN's code of principles, and to provide fact-checking tools to the IFCN community. In addition, it will also offer training and other support.