New 'Republic of Korea Fact-Check Award' Established... Awards for Media and Citizen Categories Starting in August

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Korea Journalists Association, the Broadcast Journalists Union, and Fact Check Net have established the ‘Republic of Korea Fact Check Awards’ and will begin awarding from August.

According to the Korea Journalists Association on the 9th, the Republic of Korea Fact Check Awards consist of the ‘Fact Check of the Month Award,’ which is given to fact-check reports published in the media every month and fact-check content published or posted online and offline outside the media, and the ‘Fact Check Grand Prize of the Year,’ selected from the winners of the Fact Check of the Month Award.

To strengthen fact-check journalism in the media and expand citizen participation in fact-checking, awards will be given separately in the ‘media category’ and the ‘citizen category.’

The three organizing bodies stated, “Since all citizens are both users and producers of content in this era, it is important for the media and citizen communities to jointly respond to misinformation,” adding, “As citizens’ interest and participation in fact-checking increase, the role of the media in investigating and delivering reliable information and the value of fact-check journalism will also rise.”

The first award ceremony is scheduled for August 20, and submissions will be accepted from the 25th of this month until August 3.

For the media category, the three organizing bodies?the Broadcast Journalists Union, the Korea Journalists Association members, and Fact Check Net affiliated media?will conduct a call for entries. A recommendation from a member representative of the organizing media company or a representative of the organizing body is required.

For the citizen category, submissions can be recommended by a representative of the organizing bodies or a representative of an organization recognized by the organizing bodies. The organization must be a nonprofit private organization or nonprofit corporation registered or licensed by the mayor/provincial governor or the competent authority. Applicants can download the form from the websites of the three organizing bodies, complete it, and upload it to the web hard drive.

Kim Dong-hoon, president of the Korea Journalists Association, said, “Since misinformation inevitably increases in the content industry structure where content is directly linked to revenue, strengthening citizens’ fact-checking capabilities is a very important issue,” adding, “I hope the ‘Republic of Korea Fact Check Awards’ will contribute to journalists, who are experts in fact verification, practicing fact-check journalism and establishing and promoting fact-check norms.”

Seong Jae-ho, president of the Broadcast Journalists Union and co-representative of Fact Check Net, said, “When civic organizations that create and raise important agendas in Korean society collaborate with the media and citizens to conduct fact-checking, more productive and progressive discussions on policies will be possible,” expressing expectations for active participation from civil society in the ‘citizen category’ of the Republic of Korea Fact Check Awards.

Kwon Oh-hyun, co-representative of Fact Check Net, said, “Fact-checking, which is difficult to do alone, can change when individual citizens contribute their respective capabilities and collaborate,” adding, “I hope this will serve as a catalyst for citizens, the media, and experts in civil society to act as fact-checking agents and collaborators in a democratic society.”

Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea Fact Check Awards are conducted with support from government advertising fees provided by the Korea Press Foundation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.