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
Facebook To Begin Testing Topic Exclusion Controls For Advertisers
Facebook is to begin testing a new brand safety options, including new Facebook Ads topic exclusion controls for a small …
Facebook Oversight Board Publishes Decisions On First Cases
Back in December, Facebook's independent Oversight Board took on its first cases. Its decisions on these cases are now published.
Facebook Continues To Lose Users In The US And Canada
Facebook’s daily active users decline for a second quarter in the United States and Canada, caused by user fatigue and …
Facebook Launches Facebook News Portal In The UK
Facebook is starting to roll out Facebook News in the UK, a destination in its app featuring curated news from …
Facebook Revamps Access Your Information On iOS And Android
Facebook has announced a revamped version of its Access Your Information tool, making it easier for users to find and …
Facebook Bans Ads Promoting Weapon Accessories Ahead Of Inauguration Day
Facebook has announced a ban, on its platforms, of ads promoting weapon accessories and protective equipment - at least through …
Facebook Bans Donald Trump Indefinitely From Its Platforms
Following the recent events in Washington DC, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced an indefinite ban on Donald Trump from …
New Facebook Pages Come Without A Like Button
Facebook is rolling out a new design for Facebook Pages. It comes with new features, but without a Like button.
New Year’s Eve 2020 Sets New Records For Use Of Facebook Apps
Facebook was expecting a traffic spike on its apps over New Year's Eve, but this year broke all previous records …