Mark Zuckerberg Announces Facebook's Plan to Attack Fake News Will fact checkers and danger signs extinguish the spread of false information?
Facebook today announced the steps it will take to remedy the spread of viral fake news that has infected the billion-plus user network. A group of bipartisan fact-checkers, collectively called the Poynter International Fact-Checking Network, will be tasked with keeping the world's news feed full of facts instead of hoaxes.
Here's how the system will work, as described in a report by Nancy Scola at Politico:
Under the new system, when Facebook users attempt to post a story that Poynter-affiliated fact checkers have rebutted, they'll get a pop-up saying, "Before you share this story, you might want to know that independent fact-checkers disputed its accuracy." If the user opts to go ahead, the post will still appear on their friends' News Feeds, but it will be tagged with red danger-style signal indicating its veracity is in dispute -- with a link to a fact checker's debunking.
Related:
Mark Zuckerberg explained his stance on the fake news problem in a post on Thursday:
Should Facebook be monitoring and laying judgment on the news that you put into your feed? Do you think this system will work? Let us know what you think on our Facebook page (naturally).
