Project description
Helping citizens distinguish reliable news sources
Trust in mainstream media is waning worldwide, driven by perceptions of compromised independence. Many wonder if news outlets truly serve the public or other interests. In this context, the ERC-funded WiseReader project, which was born from the MIRAGE Starting Grant initiative, aims to restore faith in journalism. Specifically, it will create a web browser extension that exposes potential conflicts of interest within news outlets, empowering users to discern trustworthy sources and promoting journalistic integrity. This innovative tool will empower online users by revealing potential conflicts of interest lurking behind news outlets. For instance, it will identify the companies and individuals featured in news articles and highlight connections to the news outlet.
Objective
Trust in mainstream media has been declining steadily across the world. The trend is fuelled by the perception that news companies are not truly independent but serve the interests of owners, advertisers or creditors. Many media outlets insulate editorial decisions from external pressures, but ordinary citizens have no means to know. Hence, distrust in a few “bad apples” risks extending to the entire industry. The WiseReader project aims to tackle this problem. Based on research carried out under the Starting Grant project MIRAGE, it proposes to create a web browser extension that allows online users to learn about the potential conflicts of interest faced by the news outlets. The extension will identify companies and individuals featured in a news article as well as relevant connections between them and the news outlet. It would then display the results using an intuitive system of coloured flags and offer comprehensive information about these connections on a dedicated website. The project aims to empower ordinary citizens allowing them to discern what news sources and stories ought to be trusted. It may also allow quality news outlets to distinguish themselves from others and improve their reputation and traffic.
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsHost institution
08005 Barcelona
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.