Article Source: The Paper 

Translated and edited by: Guo Yishun

On December 12, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) joined forces with The Paper, a leading Chinese online news platform, and other prominent journalism schools to launch China’s first “Fact-Checking Community” led by professional media organizations. 

This initiative was unveiled at the inaugural International Fact-Checking Partner Summit in Shanghai, co-hosted by The Paper and Fudan University’s Institute of Global Communication and Media Studies. 

The “Fact-Checking Community” aims to enhance media literacy by fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and integrating resources from academia, industry, and digital platforms. In today’s era of information overload and the pervasive influence of AI technology, fact-checking has become essential infrastructure. 

Dr. Lv Nan, director of the Online Journalism and New Media Department of SISU’s School of Journalism and Communication (SJC), emphasized the importance of this collaboration in promoting accurate information dissemination and combating misinformation. 

Since its inception in September 2021, “The Paper Fact Check” project has been dedicated to developing a comprehensive, globally-minded, and professionally-driven fact-checking initiative. It has introduced an open, bilingual Chinese-English platform (www.factpaper.cn), encouraging individuals to initiate inquiries and conduct their own independent verifications. 

Since its inception, the project has published nearly 800 fact-checking reports covering dozens of countries and regions worldwide.

The Fact Check Reader Insight Report, co-initiated by The Paper and SJC, collected 266 valid samples via The Paper and The Paper Fact Check public accounts.

Key findings of the survey include that readers primarily focus on domestic news, followed by international news. However, the supply of high-quality news does not fully meet their expectations. Regarding news consumption channels, the survey found that readers rarely rely on traditional media to obtain international news, with social media becoming their primary source. Among these, platform-based short videos are still a dominant medium. Readers positively perceive The Paper Fact Check, viewing it as a professional and authoritative international news fact-checking institution. They are willing to share its content on social media and learn fact-checking methods from it. 

The summit of this December, a fruitful outcome of the“The Paper Fact Check” project, brought together nearly 100 experts, scholars, media representatives, and tech platform delegates from around the world to discuss the challenges of global misinformation in the AI era and to explore strategies for boosting media literacy. 

SISU’s participation in this pioneering endeavor underscores its commitment to advancing media education and fostering a more transparent and reliable information landscape.