Meedan: Founder of Check

Making sense of the Global web. 

The Problem

In our interconnected, 24/7, globalized world, real-time news breaks anywhere, at any time, and spreads via social media almost instantaneously. We look to journalists to gauge a story’s credibility in real time, but in many cases that might be expecting too much. Verifying and translating this media requires extensive networks, local knowledge, language skills, and strong collaboration — all of which are hard to come by. The result: half-truths, rumors, lies, and misunderstandings are often simply shared around without meaningful vetting, and “alternative facts” and false narratives become established.

The Solution

The designers, technologists and journalists behind Meedan “look to a world where understanding facilitated by global conversation is a bit wider, deeper, and more effective.” Convinced that global digital journalism needed better tools for real-time news, they set out to build those tools. “Check” verifies breaking news online and makes digital news gathering an efficient and collaborative process, while “Bridge” translates the global web, helps communities translate, annotate, share, and source the most compelling global content on social media. These tools were deployed to great effect during the 2017 French election, debunking 60 misleading and false stories.

Stage of Development

  • Early Stage
  • Established Prototype
  • Scaling
  • Other

Organization to Receive Funds

Save the Internet

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