Facebook discovers that ‘fake news’ warnings make articles more believeable
Facebook has discovered that its "fake news" warnings make media reports appear more believable to its users and has decided to take them down.
Published: December 22, 2017, 9:57 am
Instead the social network shows “disputed” warnings next to articles in December they do not approve of to alert readers that paid “fact-checking websites” have deemed them unworthy.
A selection of “related articles” will pop up next to the “offending stories” in an effort to counter their content with “context” from “reputable media publications” the British daily, The Telegraph reported.
Research has shown that Facebook users actually believe “fake news” more when it was flagged as such.
“Academic research on correcting misinformation has shown that putting a strong image, like a red flag, next to an article may actually entrench deeply held beliefs – the opposite effect to what we intended,” Facebook product manager Tessa Lyons stated.
“False news undermines the unique value that Facebook offers: the ability for you to connect with family and friends in meaningful ways. It’s why we’re investing in better technology and more people to help prevent the spread of misinformation,” Lyons wrote on her blog.
She stressed that it was important to use money as a weapon against well-liked articles that do not fit Facebook’s agenda. News that Facebook does not agree with, must to be financially de-incentivised Lyons said.
“Overall, we’re making progress. Demoting false news (as identified by fact-checkers) is one of our best weapons because demoted articles typically lose 80 percent of their traffic. This destroys the economic incentives spammers and troll farms have to generate these articles in the first place.”
Fears about counter-establishment news have grown over the past year, with British parliamentarians putting pressure on media sites like Facebook to “regulate” its news feed, blaming Russia for their own growing unpopularity.
Facebook had found earlier that the Internet Research Agency (IRA) put hardly any effort into influencing British public opinion ahead of the Brexit vote. The IRA, also known as the “Russian troll farm,” spent a total of $0.97 on three ads, which ran for four days in May 2016 prior to the June Brexit vote.
“Fake news” has been a favourite term of Donald Trump, who regularly calls out lying and scheming media organisations in the US.
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