Only 2016 could come up with a problem as infuriating as fake news. After misleading articles and flat-out lies dominated the election season, the world realized this was not just an annoyance, but an epidemic. Facebook inadvertently had a significant role in the spreading of fake news when its algorithm would suggest the articles. That's why the social media is now trying to combat it, but it needs our help.
The Verge reports that Facebook has begun asking users to evaluate and rate the news they're being presented, asking questions like "To what extent do you think that this link's title uses misleading language?" and "To what extent do you think that this link's title withholds key details of the story?"
Users have spotted these questions on links from publications like the Philadelphia Inquirer and Rolling Stone — not exactly prime suspects.
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Facebook is asking whether this @PhillyInquirer headline is fake? pic.twitter.com/cCUpwtvQlS
— Chris Krewson (@ckrewson) December 5, 2016
A Facebook survey to see how accurate a Rolling Stone headline is. Pizzagate shows that information on social media fucking matters. pic.twitter.com/i4PIsbFhYF
— Jorge (@iamjorgecamargo) December 5, 2016
The wording of the questions suggests that Facebook is also continuing its fight against clickbait, the term for when articles have purposefully misleading headlines to get users to click.
As of now, Facebook hasn't clarified what it is it's doing, or confirmed that these surveys are indeed taking place. Let's just assume no news is good news until we're sure that the news is true.
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