Associated Press to Use Blockchain Platform Civil in Support of Ethical Journalism

Industry 2 min, 1 sec READ

by Abhimanyu Krishnan

The Associated Press will be publishing content on the journalism-oriented blockchain platform Civil in a bid to encourage ethical journalism.

The renowned not-for-profit news agency, the Associated Press, will use blockchain platform Civil for digital publishing.

Civil, which describes its mission as “building a new economy for journalism”, is a decentralized online content marketplace that uses the Ethereum blockchain. The platform allows journalists, newsrooms, and readers to receive financial support for popular articles, rate and verify the factual basis of articles, track the use of copyrighted content, and play a role in the decentralized governance of the platform. 

Civil made the announcement via Twitter yesterday:

The AP will publish national and international content on the platform, making it available for use by newsrooms around the world. In addition, it will track trends and secure intellectual property rights using Civil's blockchain. 

The Associated Press, which was established 172 years ago, appears to see blockchain adoption as a way to keep pace with the evolution of digital content. According to AP's Senior VP for Strategy and Enterprise Development, Jim Kennedy,

AP has been pushing into new digital territory for more than two decades, and Civil is opening up another new space with interesting technology to explore and a commitment to good journalism. We’re eager to help cultivate the space and demonstrate our value to a new set of digital publishers.

Civil is Taking the Lead with Digital News Publishing

In an age where misinformation and catchy headlines are routinely weaponized for political gain, the AP is wary of their content being stolen, twisted, and taken out of context. Speaking to TechCrunch, Mathew Iles, the founder and CEO of Civil, elaborates on this,

We have a problem now of not even just dealing with literal fake news, but dealing with the social aspects of people not really knowing what to trust anymore because people are throwing around allegations. We think [Civil] is going to create far better signals for consumers to really know if a news organization is trusting and credible, despite whatever powerful people might be saying.

Civil has taken the lead in this effort to protect journalists, the industry, and readers, having assembled a group of “First Fleet Newsrooms”, which published their first Civil-based content last month. Members include The Colorado Sun, Sludge, The Small Bow, and Global Ground.