27 March 2020: The Financial Times has joined an industry collaboration of major news and technology organisations to identify and stop the spread of harmful coronavirus misinformation.

The Trusted News Initiative, set up last year to protect audiences and users from misinformation, is putting in place a shared alert system to ensure inaccurate content can be dealt with promptly.

In efforts to reduce the amount of imposter content - information that purports to come from genuine news outlets - partners will receive alerts from each other about potentially harmful stories that claim to come from trusted brand identities or sources. 

FT managing editor James Lamont said: “In these unprecedented and uncertain times, the need for accurate and reliable information has never been greater. We are working closely with our partners to help stop the spread of harmful misinformation and to equip our readers with essential news and analysis on this global pandemic.”

Partners within the Trusted News Initiative include the BBC, Facebook, Google/YouTube, Twitter, Microsoft, AFP, Reuters, EBU, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Hindu, CBC/Radio Canada, First Draft and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.