The Internet has made it easier to report the news, but this is not necessarily a good thing. It can be difficult at times to filter through all the junk and be certain of what is really the truth. There is a new website called Grasswire that is looking to change all that.
Created by Austen Allred, Grasswire allows users to post world news topics for discussion with the ability to share articles proving or disproving other users’ points. It operates in a similar manner as Reddit, and articles move up and down the page depending on how users vote.
Allred explained, as reported by TechCrunch, “It started really with just a few news junkies, people who are really sick of being lied to with information being spread around on YouTube and Twitter and all of these platforms that are completely unregulated. There’s nothing to rope them in as far as accuracy goes. The tool was originally built for those people.” He also added that, for the most part, users have been refuting news claims through reverse Google image searches.
Although the site is a close copy to Reddit, it seems that for now the site has been gaining traction. It caters strictly to news junkies, and though Reddit and Twitter help debunk false news quickly, this site cuts through all the other matters of discussion and provides only talk of news. So far the topics have ranged from the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in China to the crisis in Ukraine.
This of course does not replace the role of real reporters. Without them, the truth would never be known from the get-go. Grasswire is a useful tool to help eliminate lies and propaganda. In addition, it has the potential to generate genuine conversations, and the refutations could be used to educate rather than humiliate others.
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