More than 23,000 users use this service, which has received more than 270,000 messages since its launch in June 2020. The bot is able to analyze images, videos, audio files and text, and automatically reply to users if their content has already been verified by the Maldita.es team of journalists.
This is the third time Maldita.es has been selected as a finalist in this category of the prestigious European award. In 2017, Maldita Hemeroteca was nominated, and in 2018, Maldito Bulo. This finalist nomination once again recognizes Maldita.es’ innovative effort in pursuing its mission: developing tools to help prevent people from being misled.
The Maldita.es chatbot is an innovative effort to address disinformation circulating through private messaging channels, automatically stop the spread of false information, improve the workflow of journalists and fact-checkers, and provide citizens with media literacy tools and materials.
This tool, developed by the Maldita.es development team together with the chatbot company Wealize and powered by the whole Maldita.es team, has been crucial in serving the Maldita.es community and providing, through journalism, a public service in response to the increase in disinformation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To use this service, you need to save this number in your contacts +34 644 229 319 or click on this link to start the conversation.
Maldita.es is among the finalists in the innovation category together with the following projects:
- Sisters of Europe, produced by the entire Sisters of Europe team and published on sistersofeurope.eu (Europe)
- Rojava Diary by Lola García-Ajofrín (Spain), Massoud Hammid (France), Jakub Górnicki (Poland), Marcin Suder (Poland), Piotr Kliks (Poland), Tina Xu (China), published by Outriders
- Infertility by Lara Bonilla and Ricard Marfà (Spain), published by Diari ARA (Spain)
- Money to Burn by Piret Reiljan (Estonia), Silvia Nortes (Spain), Catherine Joie (Belgium), Paul Toetzke (Germany), Hazel Sheffield (United Kingdom), Ties Gijzel (The Netherlands), Sophie Blok (The Netherlands), published by Argos, Äripäev, ERR, De Groene Amsterdammer, E&T, Investico, Público, Die ZEIT Online, The Guardian, Latvijas Radio 1 and 5W.
In June, the jury will announce the winner of the award.
The European Press Prize has held nine editions and aims to celebrate the greatest achievements in European journalism. It is organized by seven European foundations: The Guardian Foundation, The Politiken Foundation, Agora Foundation, Media Development Investment Fund, The Jyllands-Posten Foundation, The Irish Times Trust Limited, The Thomson Reuters Foundation, Stichting Democratie & Media, Vereniging Veronica and Luminate.
In 2020, this innovation award was given to the work Palmyra, the other side, produced by journalists Guillermo Abril and Carlos Spottorno and published in Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin and El País Semanal.
At this link you can consult the finalists in the distinguished reporting, investigation and opinion categories.