Facebook to FLAG ‘Fake News’ posts

Facebook to FLAG ‘Fake News’ posts
Facebook to FLAG ‘Fake News’ posts

Facebook to FLAG ‘Fake News’ posts

Facebook says it will start applying warning labels to some “fake news” stories that users share on the social network. CNN is reporting.

Consequently, posts that are labelled ‘fake news‘ will have a red label just below the headline that would read “disputed by 3rd Party Fact-Checkers.” This label would warn potential readers to take the information with a pinch of the salt. Users will also be able to click on a “learn why this is disputed” link to get more information about the post and why it is considered ‘fake’.

However, Facebook will not be doing the fact-checking itself. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly said “we do not want to be arbiters of truth ourselves, but instead rely on our community and trusted third parties.”

So the ‘trusted third parties’ will be fact-checking organisations that have committed to the International Fact Checking Code of Principles, which was recently established by Poynter, a journalism organization. A number of such fact-checking organizations around the world have signed on the code of principles.

But, will this development affect the freedom to post anything?

“Facebook is making it clear that users will still be able to post whatever they want, no matter how bogus, on their own Facebook pages but “you will see a warning that the story has been disputed as you share,” – Facebook VP Adam Mosseri said in a blog post.

Facebook and other social media companies are under pressure from users and journalism advocacy groups to combat the proliferation of so-called “fake news.” While the term has many definitions, and partisans have started to exploit the term, one specific type of “fake news” involves stories that are designed to deceive.

An example from the 2016 American election is the spurious claim that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump.

The big question is: for how long can the credibility of the ‘third parties’ remain intact, if their judgement will ever hold sway? Is it not also possible that collaborators with fake news peddlers could sign Facebook’s code of principles with the aim of protecting their own?

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