Inside AFP
AFP is represented in the expert group on fake news
A Europe-wide expert group on combatting fake news met in Brussels for the first time on Monday.
The High-Level Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation, of which AFP is a member, will assist the European Commission in identifying the phenomenon of fake news.
This includes assessing the international scale of the problem and the responsibilities of all stakeholders in guarding against it.
The group will present its recommendations before the spring of 2018.
The task force comprises 39 members. They include representatives of civil society (Reporters Without Borders, Wikimedia); European news organisations (RTL, Mediaset, Sky News, among others); academics; and technology companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google.
First Draft and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), two institutions partnered by AFP, are also represented.
AFP's representative is Grégoire Lemarchand, Deputy Global Editor-in-Chief and Social Networks Editor.
The task force is the initiative of Mariya Gabriel, European commissioner for digital technology, and was formed following a call for applications for the selection of members.
About AFP:
AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from conflicts to politics, economics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2,300 staff spread across almost every country, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages. AFP delivers the news in video, text, photos, multimedia and graphics to a wide range of customers including newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, web sites and portals, mobile operators, corporate clients as well as public institutions.