During the opening ceremony of the 7th World Media Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 7, TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov announced an invitation to news agencies, TV channels, print and digital outlets, individual journalists and independent experts to join the Global Fact‑Checking Network (GFCN).
The GFCN, co‑founded by TASS, already unites more than 130 experts from 55 countries. It employs artificial intelligence and other analytic tools to detect unreliable material early in its distribution, trace the original source of fake stories, map their dissemination routes, and determine how they entered the information space.
"I would like to take this opportunity to invite all interested news agencies, TV channels, print and digital publications, as well as individual journalists and independent experts, to join our association," Kondrashov said in his address.
He added that participation is free, does not require any ideological reliability check, and does not impose loyalty to any country or political movement. The association operates under a Code of Responsible Fact Checking while emphasizing respect for facts, verifiability of sources, and a desire to convey reliable information to audiences.
In his speech, Kondrashov described disinformation as "one of the most serious threats to the modern information space," noting that it erodes trust in state institutions, inflames social contradictions, and distorts reality. He called for a broader international professional community to more effectively counter common challenges and highlighted that resource pooling and experience sharing are essential, especially for regional and national outlets that may lack extensive editorial infrastructure.
