Launch of the project aiming to counter misinformation about the COVID-19 disease : Dépister la désinfo/ Track the facts

MONTREAL, May 7, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (FPJQ) and the Agence Science-Presse (ASP) are happy to announce the official launch of their joint project COVID-19 : Dépister la désinfo/ Track the facts.

While fake news about the coronavirus are running rampant and the population doesn't always know how to distinguish the real from the fake, this project aims to help citizen of all ages develop a critical point of view, verify information and sharpen their judgment. A team of talented journalists already produces exclusive content on the coronavirus in French and English, in the form of fact checking articles, infographics, memes, and eventually videos. Content for children and teenagers will also be created, in collaboration with teams from the Les Débrouillards, Les Explorateurs, and Curium magazines.

These contents will be broadcasted daily on our website and on our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit). They will also be featured on the website of the Agence Science-Presse and on the pages of both partner organizations.

This project is financed by the Government of Canada, thanks to the Digital Citizen Contribution Program through the Digital Citizen Initiative of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

It is a continuing part of the FPJQ school program on the fight against misinformation: #30sec to check it out, launched in 2018 with Agence Science-Presse. It also continues the efforts of the #DétecteurDeRumeurs from ASP in its battle against misinformation, notably in science, for the development of a critical mind.

Spokesperson

The journalist Eve Beaudin was named spokesperson for the project, in addition to her being one of its content editors. She has been a journalist for almost 20 years and works in written media as well as radio and television. She is a reporter for the Ça vaut le coût television show on Télé-Québec as well as a scientific journalist responsible for the Détecteur de rumeurs column for Agence Science-Presse. Eve also hosts the Anatomie des fausses nouvelles and the C'est une question de santé series on Savoir Média. She is a member of the FPJQ management board and one of the supervisors of the Media education wing at FPJQ. She is passionate about debunking myths, pseudoscience, and marketing lies.

« The pandemic brought about an unprecedented increase in misinformation about the coronavirus. There are thousands of false, fabricated, and misleading contents that are circulating on the web and are competing with quality information based on facts. More than ever, it's essential to distinguish the real from the fake. With our texts and our designs, we share our tips to help the public evaluate the reliability of the information it relies on so that every person can form an informed opinion and make decisions based on facts, for themselves and their families, » explains Eve Beaudin.

The creators of the Dépister la désinfo/ Track the facts project hope that by being better equipped to make the difference between the real and the fake, citizens propagate the information, and not the virus.

SOURCE Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec