Media monitoring and measurement company Glean.info has introduced the first news monitoring service designed to identify fake news content.
Unlike traditional media monitoring and press clipping services, where clients aim to earn as many media mentions as they can, Glean.info’s fake news monitoring service helps clients acquire as few phony and image-damaging news clips as possible. The service collects content from more than 2,000 sites known to publish fake news and other types of misinformation. The service then sends automated email alerts to clients when one of these site mentions a subscriber’s name, product or other keywords.
The service also monitors online fact-checking services to identify the stories these services are correcting.
 William Comcowich |
Glean.info was founded by PR veteran William J. Comcowich, who previously founded and served as CEO of Stratford, Conn-based media monitoring and measurement company CyberAlert LLC. Comcowich told O’Dwyer’s that most phony news stories found on social media originate on sites that the Glean.info service monitors. However, subscribers to Glean.info’s fake news monitoring service can also request to add specific sites that they want monitored.
Clients can choose up to five names to be monitored (most often, clients elect to have their corporate, brand names or personal names tracked). Clients can also monitor specific keywords or phrases.
“The spread of fake news can destroy the reputations of companies and celebrities almost instantly. It’s a real problem,” Comcowich told O’Dwyer’s. “We noticed that most of the bad stuff about companies, celebrities and political issues originates in sites that intentionally traffic in misinformation, disinformation, outlandish stories, hate or other extreme viewpoints. It’s important for companies to identify and quash those stories at the source before they go viral on social media. No other media monitoring service was covering those sites — so we developed the service. We think it’s a vital component of a media monitoring program.”
Glean.info’s Fake News Media Monitoring Service retails for $99 a month. An introductory offer of $49 a month is available until July 30.
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