A Statement from NewsGuard about COVID-19
NewsGuard has temporarily removed the paywall from its browser extension in order to make its anti-misinformation tool free to help address the urgent COVID-19 “infodemic.”
The NewsGuard browser extension, which costs $2.95/month, is now free from March 24 for all users until July 1. The extension flags websites that have published COVID-19 hoaxes and other dangerous misinformation.
To download NewsGuard’s browser extension for free during the COVID-19 crisis, click here.
NewsGuard deploys journalists to issue trust ratings for thousands of news and information websites across the U.S. and Europe. After consultation with, and with the support of librarians whose patrons already enjoy free use of NewsGuard, government agencies, and NGOs in the U.S. and in Europe, we have decided to remove the paywall on our popular browser extension to help combat the misinformation about COVID-19 that is proliferating around the world.
The browser extension provides detailed green or red ratings and “Nutrition Labels” for more than 4,000 news and information sites representing 95% of news engagement online and flags with red ratings those that publish false or unreliable information. These include hundreds of sites that promote false and dangerous treatments for illnesses including COVID-19. NewsGuard is working with government agencies, public libraries, digital platforms, and internet service providers to alert their users that this tool is available free to users in the midst of the pandemic.
