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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Did IGN delete an article directing readers to Palestinian aid groups?

Friday, May 28, 2021

By Austin Tannenbaum

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YES

On May 14, 2021, an article entitled “How to Help Palestinian Civilians,” attributed to “IGN staff,” was posted on video game and entertainment media outlet IGN’s website. The article sought to “highlight the humanitarian crisis in Palestine” and the “recent...catastrophic loss of Palestinian lives.” It directed readers to “charities and organizations on the ground in those areas where you can donate funds to help those most in need.”

On May 16, the article was deleted from IGN‘s website. The next day, IGN issued a statement via Twitter about the company‘s decision, which read in part that “by highlighting only one population, the post mistakenly left the impression that we were politically aligned with one side.”

In response, more than 70 IGN staff members signed an open letter condemning IGN’s actions.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

IGN How to help Palestinian civilians

Ziff Davis About IGN

IGN Tweet with statement commenting on article about Palestinians

IGN employee group Open letter to leadership at IGN, Ziff Davis, and J2 Global

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.