The accuracy and objectivity of the contextual boxes that Seznam.cz adds to discussion posts containing factually disputed content are now also overseen by academic teams from the Anglo-American University, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, and the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University.
Seznam.cz, the leading Czech internet company, has been fact-checking comments within Seznam Discussions since 2022. It has already added context to more than 30,000 comments containing factually incorrect statements.
The contextual boxes are based on independent fact-checking projects such as AFP, Demagog.cz, Czech Radio’s Ověřovna, and other reputable organizations and media. Seznam.cz publishes all fact-checks it uses in a clear and searchable database.
“When adding context to factually incorrect claims made by our users, we care deeply about being as objective and impartial as possible while building on trustworthy sources. That’s why we invited three renowned universities to join the cooperation, ensuring an additional review of every single fact-checking box,” said Peter Jančárik, who is responsible for disinformation and content moderation at Seznam and also leads the Discussions editorial team.
At the Anglo-American University, researchers from a wide range of humanities disciplines (modern history, law, economics, philosophy, political science, and international relations) participate in the verification process. According to Radek Soběhart, Director of Research, the university sees this project as another opportunity to develop the so-called “third role” of universities: “Our school is not widely known in the Czech environment, as all programmes are conducted in English according to international educational standards. We see an opportunity in this project to show that our academics do not live in an ivory tower of theoretical research, but consider cultivating the public sphere to be one of their main professional missions. Based on experiences from surrounding countries, we are aware of how essential such cultivation is for the quality of democratic culture and the development of a free society.”
“The Faculty of Arts at Charles University sees social responsibility and the cultivation of public debate as two of its main duties. Cooperation in fact-checking is an excellent way of putting our vast expertise to good use. We are, therefore, pleased that many of our academics have joined the project,” said Michaela Slussareff, Vice-Dean for External Relations and Continuing Education at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University.
At the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University the verification work involves experts in media and journalism, political science, psychology, sociology, international relations, and energy studies. They focus, among other areas, on international armed conflicts, minorities, and sexual violence.
“Verifying information and providing factual context is one of the key social roles of universities and the experts working in them. Our research also shows that credible media are crucial for society’s overall resilience against conspiracies and disinformation, which is why such cooperation makes perfect sense to us,” said Lucie Čejková, the project coordinator from the Department of Media Studies and Journalism at FSS MUNI.
Seznam.cz, the leading internet company in Czechia, has launched a strategic partnership with the respected fact-checking organization Demagog.cz. The collaboration comes in response to the upcoming parliamentary elections and a rising volume of political advertising, with the shared goal of safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process.
The popular mapping application Mapy.cz is entering a new, global era. In order to assist millions of users worldwide, it is expanding its reach and gradually moving to the Mapy.com domain. The application will thus become more accessible to users from all over the world, while continuing to improve the quality and user experience to which Czech users are accustomed.
The company Seznam.cz, Czech internet leader, has slightly increased its revenues in 2023 – they grew by 0.18% compared to 2022 to CZK 5.939 billion. Profit before tax also grew slightly, in particular by 6.06% to CZK 1.362 billion. “We entered the year 2023 in anticipation of the cooling domestic online market and the ongoing …
