RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
02/27/2026 | News release | Archived content
A win for reliable information: Czechia’s top newsfeed service Seznam.cz to recognise outlets with a Journalism Trust Initiative certification
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) applauds Seznam.cz's decision to include the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification among the selection criteria for outlets seeking to be included in its newsfeed service. By adding the JTI - a rigorous standard for ethical journalism launched by RSF - Seznam.cz is pioneering best practices in keeping the information space full of impartial, transparent and trustworthy sources.
Czechia is one of the few countries whose digital landscape is not entirely dominated by major tech companies like Google and Meta. Reaching approximately 90% of the country's online population, Seznam.czhas a great responsibility and a unique opportunity to foster a trustworthy information space via its newsfeed service, which collaborates with around 400 media partners.
To support this goal and maintain the highest level of impartiality and quality in evaluating its partners, Seznam.cz only allows content from sources that fulfil one of their criteria. To be featured on their news service, outlets must submit either a self-evaluation of their editorial practices; the results of an external, independent assessment; or, as of 1 February 2026, a JTI certification.
By integrating the JTI into its selection process, Seznam.cz is leading by example among tech companies, which remain largely unregulated and tend to eschew best practices when it comes to preventing mis- and disinformation. The JTI has allowed Seznam.cz to further strengthen and diversify its approach to evaluating news sources.
"We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with the value-driven European tech company Seznam.cz. At a time when the right to trustworthy information is increasingly undermined by authoritarian regimes, oligarchs and opaque algorithms, its defenders must step up their cooperation. By integrating JTI into its newsfeed, Seznam.cz is strengthening its users' long-term access to news media that vary in size, origin and editorial line, but which are all ethical and transparent.
Pavol Szalai
Director of the RSF Prague Bureau
"At Seznam.cz, we believe it's essential that we don't position ourselves as the arbiter of media quality. That's why we collaborate with as many reputable independent evaluation systems as possible. We're pleased that news websites can now enter our Newsfeed with an audited JTI assessment, alongside other recognised certifications.
Peter Jančárik
Head of Content Moderation, Seznam.cz
Journalism Trust Initiative: elevating standards of news media
JTI was developedin 2019 as an ISO-type international standard by roughly 130 experts from media outlets, media regulatory bodies, media associations and digital platforms. They worked to define the criteria of transparency, independence and ethics necessary for an industry standard applicable to all types of news sources. The idea of designing a self-regulatory mechanism applicable to all news sources worldwide was the initiative of the Paris-headquartered media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The JTI certification process has three stages. First, the introduction to the standard via JTI's portal. Second, the self-evaluation by the media. Finally, as an option, the certifying audit. More than 2,400 media outlets in 127 countries use JTI. 1,460 are currently undergoing self-assessment, 830 published their transparency report, and 135 obtained JTI certification following an audit.
Published on27.02.2026
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