Google has revealed that it will contribute $25 million to the European Media and Information Fund to combat fake news.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. election fuelled misinformation.
Social media was blamed for not being proactive in tackling the issue while regulators have indicated they may take action through heavy-handed restrictions.
The European Media and Information Fund, launched by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute last week, aims to enlist researchers, fact-checkers, not-for-profits and other public interest-oriented bodies to help in the fight against fake news.
The fund has a duration of five years. The European Digital Media Observatory, which is a European Commission project set up last year and whose members include fact checkers and academic researchers, will evaluate and select the projects.
