FACEBOOK, in partnership with Rappler IQ and VERA Files, on Thursday announced the launch of its third-party fact-checking program aimed at helping to combat false news from spreading on the social networking platform.
These partners have been certified through a non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network and will review news stories on Facebook, check their facts, and rate their accuracy, Facebook said in a statement.
It said the program is in line with a three-part framework to improve the quality and authenticity of stories in the News Feed.
Aside from Facebook’s Community Standards that regulate the content shared on the platform, this program will also reduce the distributioan of stories that undermine Facebook’s authenticity and will also provide people with more context on the stories they see.
“We are committed to fighting the spread of false news and misinformation on multiple fronts by employing a variety of tools and tactics. They include disrupting financial incentives, taking action against fake accounts, applying machine learning to help diminish spam, and reducing the posts people see that link to low-quality web pages by providing people with easier access to additional perspectives and information,” said Clair Deevy, Facebook’s director for Community Affairs for APAC.
“Partnering with third-party fact-checking organizations is one of the ways we hope to better identify and reduce the reach of false news that people share on our platform.”
Maria A. Ressa, chief executive and and executive editor of Rappler Inc., said “A shared version of reality is critical to any functioning democracy. Exposing lies and the networks which share them is a first step in strengthening civic engagement. It’s what journalists do, and we’re happy to work with Facebook to help create a safe and sane public space for critical thinking and debate.”
“It is important that the decisions we make in our daily lives are based on correct information. Falsehoods cloud the mind and create confusion. Our aim with VERA Files fact-checking partnership with Facebook is to reduce falsehoods on social media and help create an informed citizenry a vital component of democracy,” said Ellen Tordesillas, president of VERA Files.
Aside from being able to flag potential false news stories, people will also be informed if a story they shared on Facebook is rated as false. Also, the pages on Facebook that repeatedly share false news will be seen less across people’s News Feeds.
“We know more work needs to be done and we are committed to fighting false news on Facebook,” Deevy said.
“There is no silver-bullet solution, which is why we’ve deployed a diverse and strategic plan. We will also continue to expand our local digital literacy programs in the Philippines to help give more Filipinos the skills they need to identify accurate news from false news, and to think critically about what they share online.”