Apple is joining the fight against fake news with an initiative that encourages critical thinking and empowers students to be better informed.
The company is teaming up with three organizations in the United States and Italy that offer nonpartisan, independent, media-literacy programs.
Apple partnered with the News Literacy Project, Common Sense and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori. By supporting the organizations, Apple will be able to better present quality journalism from trusted sources and help train young people on how to seek accurate and reliable information
“News literacy is vital to sustaining a free press and thriving democracy, and we are proud to be collaborating with organizations on the front lines of this effort,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement. “We’ve been impressed by the important work being done by the News Literacy Project, Common Sense and Osservatorio, empowering young people to be active and engaged citizens.”
Apple’s subscription news service
The new initiative comes as Apple gears up to launch a news subscription service. Early rumors indicate subscribers might pay $10 a month for unlimited access to articles from the top publishers in the world.
Today’s announcement doesn’t sound like it will impact Apple’s news service directly, though. Common Sense and NLP focus on empowering K-12 students (plus their families and educators) on how to navigate the news landscape in the digital age.
In the future, some of the groups’ programs could be adapted by Apple for its app to help educate users.
“We need to help our students not just seek out legitimate news, but also think critically about the broader world of media and ideas,” said James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense. “Apple shares in our mission to raise a generation of children who will thrive as learners, leaders and citizens in the digital age, and Common Sense is delighted to be part of this important effort.”
