Fighting Misinformation and Building Sustainable News Systems
Community organizers and tech entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to combat misinformation and build sustainable local news systems.
Overlooked calls itself a “social news network” that is aiming to be a “superhero” for local newspapers and student publications.
According to this TechCrunch article, Overlooked’s founder George Sehremelis wanted to do something about the financial crisis facing local newspapers and the problem of online misinformation. The app is a hybrid between a social media network and a news aggregator.
Overlooked is an app where users — initially college students — can post, share and comment on articles. And that’s basically all they can do. They won’t be able to post any original content of their own, which Sehremelis said already “eliminates the possibility of a deep fake” video or image that’s been edited to mislead.
Sehremelis hopes that by offering a paid service where publications share in the revenue, Overlook will remedy the problem of Google, Facebook, and Twitter sucking up digital advertising revenue.
The CU Independent tweeted that it is partnering with Overlooked to remain financially sustainable, joining publications including The Daily Aztec, Gant News, and Yes! Weekly.
Community organizers in Massachusetts are addressing the local news crisis by taking a decidedly more shoe-leather approach. Led by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (BINJ) and media advocacy group Free Press, organizers lobbied MA state reps for nearly two years, urging them to pass a bill that includes forming a journalism commission to study the state of local news across the commonwealth.
Jason Pramas, executive editor of Dig Boston and BINJ’s executive director, detailed the effort and said grassroots energy was essential to passing the bill:
[Y]ou can be sure that the grassroots coalition my colleagues and I organized to help pass the law will do our best to ensure that the MA Journalism Commission helps independent news organizations all over the Bay State get as much aid and comfort as possible from state government to start to reverse the ongoing collapse of our industry in the interest of democracy. Journalists and members of the public who would like to work with us are welcome to email me at jason@binjonline.org to plug in.
Making Bricks Out of Plastic
Nzambi Matee is making 1,500 bricks a day in her factory in Kenya from recycled plastics. Matee says the bricks are “five to seven times stronger than concrete,” and are made from high density polyethylene, used in milk and shampoo bottles; low density polyethylene, often used for bags; and polypropylene, used for ropes and buckets.
Matee said her factory has recycled 20 tons of plastic waste since its founding in 2017, and she plans to increase production to deal with the issue of plastic pollution.
“I was tired of being on the sidelines,” she said.
Watch the video from Reuters here.
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