And so it begins! Facebook is ready to move to the next level of removing all forms of “Fake News” from it’s social media platform. And according to a new report, they have begun to mark content that may be considered false with a tag reading “disputed”. This follows their recent promise to crack down on “fake news.”. Back in December of 2016, the social media giant made a promise that it would take a hardline stance against “fake news,” partnering with partisan fact-checkers such as Politifact, Snopes and ABC News to police content on the platform.
Reports indicate that Facebook recently began implementing their new “fake news” measures by marking stories that they may consider to be false as “disputed” while linking to articles by Politifact and Snopes. So how does this new system work anyway? In order to flag a story as fake, a user must report it or Facebook’s algorithm must detect it. The story will then be sent on to Politifact and Snopes who will investigate and determine whether the story is incorrect. Only when the two fact-checkers agree will the story be marked as disputed. The great concern that has come from conservative circles and even faith-based sites is the so-called “Fact-Checkers” that they have chosen.
How is it that snopes will be a fact checker when they’re fake themselves?