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'


How Facebook’s Efforts to Combat Fake News Will Affect Link Previews From Publishers

The next battleground in Facebook's war against fake news is the link previews on shared posts from publishers. Product manager for news Alex Hardiman announced in a blog post that non-publisher pages can no longer overwrite link metadata--such as headlines, descriptions and images--in Graph API... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #link previews #product manager #non-publisher pages #graph api #page composer


Facebook disables modified link previews to fight fake news

Facebook has begun implementing a new feature that can prevent fake news from making it on the social network. It has started killing non-publisher Pages' ability to edit the link previews that appear on the website when they post a story, including... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #begun implementing #link previews


Post too much to Facebook and it will be assumed that you're spreading fake news

Facebook's ongoing battle against fake news continues, and the social network has a new weapon in its arsenal. To cut down on the amount of spam and fake news appearing in News Feeds, users who post a lot each day will have their visibility reduced. The thinking behind this is that there are... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ongoing battle #news feeds #content shared


Publishers Creating Facebook Instant Articles Can Now Simultaneously Work on Google AMP (Apple News Soon)

The software-development kit for Facebook's Instant Articles media-rich, quick-loading stories from publishers now supports Google AMP, and the social network said support for Apple News is on the way. Partner engineering director Piyush Mangalick said in a Facebook Media blog post that an... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #enable publishers #apple news


French publishers face delays and transparency issues in Facebook’s fake-news crackdown

French publishers are happy about Facebook's fact-checking initiative, but there's room for improvement. The post French publishers face delays and transparency issues in Facebook’s fake-news crackdown appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake-news crackdown #french publishers #fact-checking initiative


Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook

Imagine the forecasters are right, and that print will die and social media rises to domination. What would the 2042 general election be like then?It was the week when the fake news furore went legacy-viral. Facebook bought full-page print ads in national dailies featuring 10 tips for spotting... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


Facebook publishes fake news ads in UK papers

Adverts contain a list of ten things to look out for when deciding whether a story is genuine. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2017-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ten things


Mark Zuckerberg On Fake News, Free Speech, And What Drives Facebook

When Fast Company first wrote about Mark Zuckerberg, in the spring of 2007, he was just 22 years old and his young company, Facebook, had just 19 million users. Our magazine cover line, “The Kid Who Turned Down $1 Billion,” seems almost quaint in hindsight, given Facebook’s $400 billion market... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #child pornography #long period


German publishers are skipping Facebook’s fake-news initiative

“When you ask five questions, Facebook has the answer to none of them,” said one publishing exec. “The initiative appears to be set up by amateurs." The post German publishers are skipping Facebook’s fake-news initiative appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #german publishers


In Facebook-led coalition to fight fake news, French publishers face resource strain

This week Facebook revealed it has partnered with eight French media companies to fact-check and filter news articles that have been flagged by its users. The news follows a similar effort started by news coalition led by First Draft News. French publishers have welcomed the efforts but admit... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #draft news #french publishers #long battle


French to fight fake news with backing from Google, Facebook

News organizations operating in France will open up a new fact-checking service, CrossCheck, at the end of this month. Their initial focus will be on covering the forthcoming French elections, but with a number of international organizations participating, the project's reach could... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #initial focus #comment threads #draft news #publish content #social web


German publishers keen for more dialogue with Facebook on its fake-news crackdown

Facebook is making it easier for people in Germany to report fake news, but it might not be enough to convince publishers that it's willing to help turn the platform into a distribution channel for serious journalism. Publishers have been keen for more discussion with the platform about how to... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake-news crackdown #distribution channel


Facebook Aims to Promote Better Journalism, Fight Hoaxes and Work With Local News Outlets

In a blog post on Wednesday, Facebook laid out a fairly elaborate plan to promote better media reporting and consumption. Called the Facebook Journalism Project, it includes a local news initiative, new storytelling formats and fighting hoaxes, among other items. With the current debate about... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #menlo park #local news #independent media


Why Facebook’s fake news measures won’t stamp out imposter publishers

Facebook's announcement that it was taking steps to crack down on hoaxes and fake news on the platform drew attention to a specific type of fake news ads -- those that masquerade as legitimate news sites. Publishers have long been the victim of such schemes, but they have few options to squash... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #taking steps #fake news #limited test


Facebook Is Enlisting American Users in the Fight Against Fake News

Facebook's going to need all the help it can get to combat fake news.  With that in mind, the company is enlisting users to fight the good fight, revealing a five-part plan to cleanse its platform of faux publishers that make money off click-bait headlines that contain blatant untruths. The... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news organizations #product management #months ahead


Facebook patent hints at an automated solution for fake news

Facebook may have said that it's stepping up its fight against fake news in the past few weeks, but there are signs that it might have had a way to tackle this problem sooner. A recently published USPTO filing from 2015 reveals that Facebook has app... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


What the Proliferation of Fake News on Google and Facebook Means for Advertisers

Just days after facing harsh criticism for allowing fake news stories to be read unchecked across the internet, Google and Facebook are now rushing to put in place policies that cut off advertising dollars for websites publishing fictional information. The move—which aims to potentially stem the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lets readers #issues surrounding


Facebook blocks fake news from its advertising network

Amid mounting pressure, Facebook Inc. said it would block websites that publish fake news from accessing its advertising services. The announcement Monday came hours after Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it would also bar fake news sites from using its advertising networks. The companies faced a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising network #announcement monday


Facebook and Google take action against fake news sites

Responding to growing concerns over the spread of misinformation online in the weeks and months before Election Day, Facebook and Google have announced plans to restrict sites that publish fake news from using online advertising. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing concerns #election day #announced plans #online advertising


Google, Facebook Say They Won't Serve Ads to Fake News Sites

Google and Facebook took steps to punish fake news websites amid growing scrutiny of technology platforms for permitting false information to spread online.On Monday, Alphabet Inc.'s Google said it's implementing a new policy that pulls its popular advertising tool from websites that run... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #technology platforms #display ads #moving forward