South Korea’s two internet titans Naver and Kakao began their regular news quality assessment Tuesday for media outlets wishing to gain exposure via their online search platforms.

A news partnership evaluation committee of the two firms said that media groups wishing to use Naver and Kakao’s news platforms can send in their applications from Tuesday. The review process takes up to three months. The “qualified partners” will be announced next year.

Basic qualifications include at least one year of media business operation with government certification for newspaper, broadcast or other media-related businesses.

The internet companies have been tightening their standards for business partnerships with media outlets amid the fake news controversy. The companies have deiced to cancel contracts with 16 outlets, saying they have copied contents from other media companies.

(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)