Checkdesk: Verifying information filtered through social media in the digital age

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We live in an era of digital revolution that started out as the dotcom bubble in the 1990's and has since encompassed various aspects of our lives. Our primary sources for procuring news include news websites, Twitter, Facebook and a whole array of social media platforms. But, with this comes the risk of misinformation perpetrated by social media platforms that can wreak havoc. Remember the August 2013 riots in Azad Maidan, Mumbai and the pictures circulated on social media platforms?
The European Journalism Council (EJC) has come out with a Verification Handbook that aims to guide users and journalists alike to verify information on social media and debunk falsified information before incorporating facts into stories. Meedan, a non-profit social technology company which aims to increase cross-language interaction on the web, with particular emphasis on translation and aggregation services in Arabic and English has developed Checkdesk — a platform that can help journalists and readers work together to check, verify and debunk digital media. Checkdesk has also been included in EJC's handbook and has won multi-year funding to support online journalism in the Arab world.