FAQ
Q: What is VerifiedJournalist.org?
A: VerifiedJournalist.org is a tool and directory for discovering and verifying real and legitimate journalists and news outlets on Mastodon and other federated social media platforms.
Q: Who qualifies for Verification?
A: Working and retired reporters, journalists, academics focused on the media, and others who are clearly news and journalism-related professionals. The purpose of this site is to authenticate the identity of journalists on social media, rather than to provide a definition of the term "journalist". Click here to request a listing
Q: What are the requirements:
A: To be eligible for verification, an account must meet specific criteria. First, it must be authentic and belong to a real individual or news organization. Second, the account should be complete, with a profile picture, header image, bio, and a minimum number of posts. Third, the account must not distribute intentionally false or misleading information and must comply with the community guidelines of the platform to which it belongs. These guidelines prohibit hate speech, spamming, or any other inappropriate behavior.
Q: I am a journalist and want to get verified, but I don't have a Mastodon account.
A: Joining Mastodon is quick, easy and free. You can find journalism oriented servers at: https://joinmastodon.org/servers
Q: Who is developing VerifiedJournalist.org?
A: VerifiedJournalist.org is being developed by the team at Honeytree Technologies, and it is an official project of the Fourth Estate® and Newsie.social.
Q: What is the purpose of VerifiedJournalist.org?
A: The purpose of VerifiedJournalist.org is to help journalists link their Mastodon account to a verified profile, promoting transparency and trust on the platform. It also assists readers in discovering and following verified journalists on Mastodon, boosting discoverability and traffic.
Q: What are the benefits of linking my Mastodon account to a VerifiedJournalist.org profile?
A: By linking your Mastodon account to a VerifiedJournalist.org profile, you can establish your credibility, legitimacy, and responsibility, promoting transparency and trust on the platform.
Q: Why do you need me to connect my Mastodon (fediverse) account?
A: We need Read-only Access to verify your Mastodon account and Follows Write-Only access is optional for easy following on VerifiedJournalist.org. We won't post, change your info, or make modifications. You can revoke permissions anytime.
Q: Is VerifiedJournalist.org available for use?
A: Yes, VerifiedJournalist.org is available for use, but it is a beta application in its very early stages, so expect bugs, changes, and occasional breakages.
Q: What is the next version of VerifiedJournalist.org?
A: The next version of VerifiedJournalist.org, currently in development, will focus on addressing challenges in federated social media and improving the discoverability and usefulness of news content and articles.
Q: How can I contact the team behind VerifiedJournalist.org?
A: For updates, feature suggestions, or complaints, you can follow @[email protected]
Q: Is there a cost to use the service or get verified as a journalist?
A: Access to the site and tool is free. There is currently no cost to get verified, however we do ask that you make a monetary contribution to support ongoing costs and development if you have the means.
Q: Where did the original data for the tool come from?
A: The original seed data for the database on VerifiedJournalist.org was sourced – with permission – from the Journalists on Mastodon and Fediverse spreadsheet that is maintained by @[email protected].
Q: I am a journalist, journalism academic and/or news outlet. How can I get listed?
A: You can request to be added by clicking the "Suggest New Listing" button at the top of the page.
Q: Is the source code for the VerifiedJournalist.org application available?
A: We will make a basic version of the code available as the Mastodon Finder in a couple of weeks.