A sure-shot sign that a story you see on your News Feed is fake, could be the lack of other sources to support it. This is why Facebook started showing you Related Articles back in April.
The story is a familiar one: 2016 has been “disastrous” for many due to fake news, and social media platforms came under fire for the mechanisms they use to surface disputed stories – or lack of such mechanisms. Facebook got a lot of criticism, and has since embarked on a crusade to “right the wrongs” and provide more transparency (and a bit of self-censorship) in its “editorial processes.”
Although Related Articles is not a new concept and has been around for a while, Facebook is now using it much more against fake news. When a user sees a story on their News Feed, hovering over it will show additional articles to support the story – think about it as some sort of fact-checker. Related Articles may include sources such as Snopes, a well-known resource for validating and debunking such stories.
Apart from debunking fake stories, Related Articles offer a variety of sources that cover a single subject, from totally different websites, so as to promote dialogue and mutual understanding. Moreover, Facebook is already tagging suspected fake news with a “Disputed” label, discouraging users from sharing defamatory or entirely fabricated articles.
Changes are already available in U.S., Germany, France, and the Netherlands since August 3.
Facebook also announced updates to its machine learning that will allow it to “detect more potential hoaxes to send to third-party fact checkers.” So now, if a posted article has already been reviewed by fact checkers, Facebook may show those “fact checking stories” underneath it. As Sarah Su explains in a recent update to an older newsroom post,
[quote]In addition to seeing which stories are disputed by third-party fact checkers, people want more context to make informed decisions about what they read and share. [/quote]
Facebook explains that these updates shouldn’t make significant impact on Page reach, unless of course a Page is spreading false news and/or hoaxes.
You might also like
More from Facebook
Messenger And Instagram Roll Out New Features For Self-Expression
Facebook is rolling out new features on Messenger and Instagram to allow more self-expression and help people feel together even …
Facebook And Gucci File A Joint Lawsuit Against Product Counterfeiter
Facebook and luxury fashion brand Gucci have announced a joint lawsuit against an international counterfeiting business.
Facebook Introduces Spotify Miniplayer Within Its App
Facebook is launching a new Spotify miniplayer that lets you listen to full-length songs and podcasts within its app.
Facebook Jumps Into Audio With New Features, Tools, And Monetization Options
Facebook has announced several new audio features, tools, and monetization options to capitalize on the audio chat trend.
Facebook Now Lets You Transfer Posts And Notes To Google Docs, Blogger, And WordPress
Facebook is extending its data portability options, allowing you to now transfer posts and notes to Google Docs, Blogger, and …
The Oculus Quest Platform Now Supports Premium Content Subscriptions
As VR content expands beyond gaming, Facebook is bringing support for subscriptions on the Oculus Quest platform.
Facebook Now Lets Businesses Schedule Stories On Mobile And Desktop
Facebook is making it easier for businesses to manage their presence across apps, letting them schedule Facebook and Instagram Stories.
Facebook Sparked Is A New Type Of Speed Dating App
Facebook Sparked, a video speed dating app, is being tested as part of Facebook NPE team's exploration of the future …
Facebook Brings Zoom Meetings To Portal TV
After adding support on Portal Mini, Portal, and Portal+ Facebook is now adding Zoom and GoToMeeting to Portal TV as …
