After modifying how its “Trending Topics” section works, rolling out a “disputed” tag and partnering with Craigslist’s founder in a $14 million initiative aimed at rebuilding trust in journalism, Facebook’s (FB) latest move to tackle the growing misinformation problem involves giving users basic news literacy tips.
Over the next several days, users logging onto the social networking platform in 14 countries, including the U.S., will see an alert on their news feeds linking them to a Help Center page with “Tips to Spot False News,” reports TechCrunch. Facebook said that the guidelines are developed in collaboration with First Draft, a nonprofit focusing on improving how information originating online is reported.
The guidelines range from “be skeptical of headlines” and “look closely at the URL” to “look at other reports” and “is the story a joke?” TechCrunch said the tips put the imperative on users themselves to scrutinize stories and links they may come across on the platform and judge their veracity.
For more on Facebook and fake news, watch Coins2Day’s video:
“Improving news literacy is a global priority,” Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s Vice President of News Feed, wrote in a press release. “We need to do our part to help people understand how to make decisions about which sources to trust.”
Apart from focusing on news literacy and changing functionalities, Facebook also took steps last year to stop publishers from monetizing from adverts on false news content.
