Prince Harry lands another new role in the US - as he joins group tackling misinformation
Prince Harry has become a commissioner on a project looking at combatting misinformation across the US, it's been announced.
Harry, 36, was named on Wednesday as part of the Aspen Institute's Commission on Information Disorder, which is set to be co-chaired by journalist Katie Couric.
In a statement shared with Yahoo UK, Prince Harry said: "As I’ve said, the experience of today’s digital world has us inundated with an avalanche of misinformation, affecting our ability as individuals as well as societies to think clearly and truly understand the world we live in.
"It’s my belief that this is a humanitarian issue - and as such, it demands a multi-stakeholder response from advocacy voices, members of the media, academic researchers, and both government and civil society leaders.
"I’m eager to join this new Aspen commission and look forward to working on a solution-oriented approach to the information disorder crisis."
It comes a day after Harry confirmed a new job as chief impact officer with BetterUp, a professional coaching and mental health company based in Silicon Valley.
The Aspen Institute describes itself as a "global nonprofit organisation committed to realising a free, just, and equitable society".
Read more: Who's who in Harry and Meghan's Archewell foundation?
It was founded in 1949 and runs conferences, seminars and programmes of leadership as well as providing resources for media.
The Commission on Information Disorder is set to be an "intensive" six month project, which will take views of people from government, media, civil society and the private sector to "deliver recommendations for how the country can respond to this modern-day crisis of faith in key institutions".
Alongside Couric will be two other co-chairs, cybersecurity expert Chris Krebs and racial equity leader Rashad Robinson, the president of Color Of Change.
Harry is one of 15 commissioners, on a list which includes some people who he and his wife Meghan Markle have likely crossed paths with before.
On the list is Amanda Zamora of The 19th, one of the first organisations which Meghan worked with before the US presidential election last year, after they stepped back as senior royals.
And there is Herb Lin of Stanford University, which Harry confirmed they had visited to hold talks before they had stepped back officially.
Watch: Harry tells Americans to ‘reject hate speech’ as he urges them to vote
Speaking about the commission, Couric said: "In today’s media landscape, consumers face a constant barrage of content that reinforces their established viewpoints. Powered by algorithms and shared ideologies, people often get affirmation instead of information, where facts are manipulated if not completely ignored.
"This ‘truth decay’ is a tremendous threat, not only to a well informed electorate, but to democracy itself. With commentary increasingly replacing reporting, polarisation has deepened and trust in media has declined. It’s critically important that we figure out how our industry can be part of the solution, and I hope to bring that perspective as co-chair of the Aspen Commission on Information Disorder."
The commission begins in April, and the team will meet regularly for six months as well as hosting briefings with experts to determine the "scope of the problem and identify the gaps that exist in the ability of government, the tech platforms, and civil society".
In September 2020, Harry and Meghan appeared in a video for TIME 100 in which they encouraged people to vote in that year's US presidential election.
Harry said: "As we approach this November it’s vital we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity."
Watch: Prince Harry takes on new role at mental health charity BetterUp
