Facebook promised to tackle fake news. But the evidence shows it's not working

Following pressure from users, the social network introduced tools to stem the spread of false information. But the rollout has been rocky at bestWhen Facebook’s new fact-checking system labeled a Newport Buzz article as possible “fake news”, warning users against sharing it, something unexpected happened. Traffic to the story skyrocketed, according to Christian Winthrop, editor of the local Rhode Island website.“A bunch of conservative groups grabbed this and said, ‘Hey, they are trying to silence this blog – share, share share,’” said Winthrop, who published the story that falsely claimed hundreds of thousands of Irish people were brought to the US as slaves. “With Facebook trying to throttle it and say, ‘Don’t share it,’ it actually had the opposite effect.” Related: Bursting the Facebook bubble: we asked voters on the left and right to swap feeds These stories are like flash grenades. If you’re three days late on a fact check, you already missed the boat Related: Facebook announces steps against fake news during general election Related: Defining fake news will help us expose it | Paul Chadwick Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #fake news #opposite effect #fact check

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Facebook promised to tackle fake news. But the evidence shows it's not working'


Facebook promised to tackle fake news. But the evidence shows it's not working

Following pressure from users, the social network introduced tools to stem the spread of false information. But the rollout has been rocky at bestWhen Facebook’s new fact-checking system labeled a Newport Buzz article as possible “fake news”, warning users against sharing it, something... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #opposite effect #fact check


Apple News shows promise delivering traffic but won’t make up for Facebook shortfalls

Apple News has been a nice traffic booster for news publishers, but lifestyle pubs feel left out. The post Apple News shows promise delivering traffic but won’t make up for Facebook shortfalls appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #apple news #news publishers


Facebook is trying to tackle fake news, but what should we do?

Frontline Club panel discuss the problem of ‘alternative facts’ and concede that social media is not the only organisation publishing falsehoodsPrivate Eye’s latest cover shows a picture of Donald Trump, hand on bible, at his inauguration with a speech bubble saying: “I swear to tell the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #alternative facts


Why BuzzFeed News premiered a show on Apple News before Facebook, YouTube, Twitter

Apple paid BuzzFeed to release a show first on Apple News, and the publisher was also able to make money through an ad-revenue split. The post Why BuzzFeed News premiered a show on Apple News before Facebook, YouTube, Twitter appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twitter appeared #apple news #make money


As promised, Facebook traffic to news publishers declines again, post news-feed change

Traffic to news publishers has dipped again since Facebook said it would prioritize users' posts in the news feed, according to multiple data sources. The post As promised, Facebook traffic to news publishers declines again, post news-feed change appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook traffic #news publishers


Facebook to End News Feed Experiment in 6 Countries That Magnified Fake News

A booth at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, Calif. The social network is stopping the experiment known as Explore, which separates news publishers from its main site. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2018-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #san jose


News Media Alliance targets Facebook and Google in fight against fake news

Alliance of 2,000 organizations says the two companies’ dominance in online advertising and traffic has created an unsustainable future for journalismNews outlets are seeking permission from the US Congress for the right to negotiate jointly with Google and Facebook, two companies that dominate... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news publishers #online advertising #seeking permission #social housing


Alarming Lessons From Facebook’s Push to Stop Fake News in India

The world’s largest election has become something of a test case in how technology giants handle fake news after years Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-05-21 19:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #test case


Facebook and Google Pressured EU Experts to Soften Fake News Regulations, Say Insiders

Google and Facebook pressured and “arm-wrestled” a group of experts to soften European guidelines on online disinformation and fake news, Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-05-21 15:02:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


Facebook just purged hundreds of fake accounts linked to a Russian news network

This is just the last announcement in its crackdown on “inauthentic” behavior. Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher published a blog post this morning saying the company has discovered and removed hundreds of pages and accounts it deemed to be “inauthentic.” The pages came... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Older people more likely to share fake news on Facebook, study finds

Researchers suggest over-65s may lack skills to determine veracity of online newsOlder people are almost four times more likely to have shared fake news on Facebook than the younger generation, according to research published in the journal Science.On average, American Facebook users over 65... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #younger generation #research published


The First Batch of Facebook-Funded News Shows for Watch Is Debuting Monday

Facebook announced last month that it was funding an initiative to create news shows from 10 to 12 U.S. publishers for its Facebook Watch video platform, and the first slate of those shows will begin streaming Monday, July 16. Head of global news partnerships Campbell Brown and product manager... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook announced #product manager


Facebook advertises for 'fake news' fact checkers

Firm changes initial ad for ‘news credibility specialists’ to ‘news publisher specialists’Facebook has advertised for “news credibility specialists” to fact-check content that appears on its site, after accusations of bias and the ongoing controversy over fake news. Almost two years after the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


The Rundown: With Watch news shows, Facebook still holds the cards

Facebook is paying news publishers, but the terms show the power is still with the platform. The post The Rundown: With Watch news shows, Facebook still holds the cards appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Facebook ignores memes, even fake news about Mark Zuckerberg spreads like wildfire

A few days ago, the Columbia Journalism Review published a thorough and frightening look into Facebook’s fact-checking program. The social network enlists organizations like Snopes and PolitiFact to scroll through thousands of contested articles and deem how factual they are. As CJR writes, the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #days ago


​Facebook and Google executives clash over ‘fake news’

A head-to-head debate between the executives leading Facebook and Google’s efforts to court publishers revealed sharp divisions between the two internet companies’ approaches to stemming “fake news” and disinformation. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #head-to-head debate #internet companies


Facebook's new media guidelines are focused on stopping fake news

Facebook came under fire after it admitted that it published 3,000 Russian-linked advertisements designed to influence the US Presidential Election. Those ads pointed to Pages that trafficked in fake news, which has been one of the social network's b... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #presidential election #fake news


Obama tried to give Mark Zuckerberg a wake-up call over fake news on Facebook

Nine days after Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg dismissed as "crazy" the idea that fake news on his company's social network played a key role in the U.S.’s November election, then-President Obama pulled aside the youthful tech billionaire and delivered what he hoped would be a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #key role


Just how partisan is Facebook's fake news? We tested it

It was only a few minutes after my imaginary Trump supporter “Todd White” began exploring Facebook that he learned filmmaker Michael Moore was staging a coup d’etat against president-elect Donald Trump. Todd also learned that Trump won the popular vote. And that there were people paid to protest... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular vote #published posts #hillary clinton