Facebook changing how it identifies 'fake news' stories
In this Tuesday, April 18, 2017, file photo, a conference worker passes a demo booth at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. Facebook says it is changing how it identifies "fake news" stories on its platform to a more effective system. The social-media network had put "disputed" labels on stories that fact-checkers found false. Instead, now it will bring up "related articles" next to the false stories that give context from fact-checkers on the stories' problems. Facebook says that in its tests, fewer hoax articles were shared when they were managed this way. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
Facebook says it is changing how it identifies "fake news" stories on its platform to a more effective system.
The social-media network had put "disputed" labels on stories that fact-checkers found false. Instead, now it will bring up "related articles" next to the false stories that give context from fact-checkers on the stories' problems.
Facebook said Wednesday that in its tests, fewer hoax articles were shared when they had fact-checkers' articles spooled up next to them than when they were labeled with "disputed" flags.
The new approach also may help speed up the fact-checking system, which sometimes worked too slowly . Now information from just one checker can be shown next to the false story. The labeling system required two fact-checkers.
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Facebook changing how it identifies 'fake news' stories (2017, December 21)
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![Facebook changing how it identifies 'fake news' stories](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2017/facebookchan.jpg "In this Tuesday, April 18, 2017, file photo, a conference worker passes a demo booth at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. Facebook says it is changing how it identifies "fake news" stories on its platform to a more effective system. The social-media network had put "disputed" labels on stories that fact-checkers found false. Instead, now it will bring up "related articles" next to the false stories that give context from fact-checkers on the stories' problems. Facebook says that in its tests, fewer hoax articles were shared when they were managed this way. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)")
