Lies, damn lies and #FakeNews

Despite the recent crackdown on fake news, more than 60 websites publishing fake news are still earning revenue from advertising networks and most of them are working with major networks such as Revcontent, Google AdSense, and Content.ad, writes Colin Stevens.

BuzzFeed News found that additional analysis, conducted in partnership with a co-investigator on of the forthcoming project A Field Guide to Fake News, discovered several cases where fake news sites that were removed from one network simply moved to another in order to continue earning money. It shows that in spite of calls for the digital ad industry to crack down on fake news and fraud in its ecosystem, fake news publishers continue to find ways to earn money from major advertising networks.

No one is safe, even EU Reporter. We always seek to publish truth, and validate stories supplied to us.

More difficult is validating the source of stories, particularly when others set out to deliberately hide their identity.

For example, there were fake emails sent by Ukrainian journalist Konstantin Zhura from the site Data.ua to EU Reporter, deliberately designed to entrap our sales team into agreeing to publish publicity advertorial articles as fact.

We have never had a commercial relationship with Jura. If he had indeed concluded an agreement with us to publish his article in our publication, then it would have been labelled as "sponsored content".

His excerpts from our communications are neither legal nor moral proof that we are violating EU legislation. Therefore, we perceive the publication of part of our correspondence as a conscious provocation aimed at undermining the process of the European integration of Ukraine.

His poor knowledge of the English language and a lack of knowledge of the rules and laws governing the work of the media in Europe testifies to the low professional qualifications of this Ukrainian journalist and the level of his journalist ethics.

We publish for money only press releases or articles marked "sponsored content", or with the signature of the publisher. You can find information about it here.

Along with press releases, we also publish many articles about Ukraine, Eastern Europe and other countries that are editorial.

EU Reporter will always seek to publish truthful journalism in accordance with internationally recognised ethical standards.

Occasionally a story which is fake news may get past our rigorous vetting system. But when we discover this, be assured that it will be removed.

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