Google fact-checking contest to raise awareness on misinformation

MANILA – Google will host a live fact-check battle for tertiary students across countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, the Philippines included.

In an email to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday, Google explained that the University Verification Challenge will pit teams of two or three members on Sept. 25

They will be challenged with intense quizzes that will put their fact-checking skills to the test.

The battle will happen in seven languages, including English. Winning teams from each bracket will advance to the finals on Sept. 29.

Interested students can register until Thursday (Sept. 23).

Google News Initiative (GNI) said it is part of a year-long verification campaign targeted at educating students and raising awareness on how to spot misinformation.

“With three challenges back-to-back live, each team will have 15 minutes to complete each challenge. Winning teams from each bracket will enter the finals to be held during Google’s annual Trusted Media Summit. This is meant for more advanced detectives who have nailed the basics of fact-checking,” Google said.

The participating students will get official certificates from digital media and information group DataLEADS, a GNI partner that trains and supports journalists in their fight against misinformation.

GNI is part of the Google News Lab which is a global team at Google with a mission to “collaborate with journalists and entrepreneurs to help build the future of media”.