Google Supports $3 Million to Combat COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] On the 18th, Google announced that it will provide a fund of 3 million dollars (about 3.3 billion KRW) to respond to misinformation related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

The Google News Initiative will support journalism projects verifying information related to COVID vaccine inoculation and immunity formation, which are of global interest, with up to 1 million dollars (1.1 billion KRW) per project.

Google plans to prevent exposure to unverified vaccine misinformation and false reports, and to expand fact-based vaccine-related journalism.

Applications for the fund can be made regardless of the media type, including print, broadcast, and digital.

Multiple organizations can also apply for the fund by forming collaborative projects. In such cases, institutions that have officially verified misinformation, including fact-checking, must be included.

The Google News Initiative stated, "We will prioritize collaborative project teams based on academic research and projects with clear indicators of achievement goals," adding, "Priority will be given to projects where consortia or multiple organizations such as vaccine experts and immunologists cooperate."

To apply for the project, English applications must be submitted by 4:59 PM KST on the 1st of next month.

Meanwhile, the Google News Initiative will hold a Korean-language briefing session on its official YouTube channel at 4 PM on the 20th to explain the purpose of the fund and hold a Q&A session.