Facebook is to ditch the red warning icons that alert users to fake news stories after less than a year, saying they have not worked as hoped and may in fact be counter-productive.
Introduced in December 2016 in response to criticism of the proliferation of so-called fake news stories on the platform in the run-up to the US presidential election, the “disputed” red warning sign cropped up next to articles that third-party fact checking websites said were false.
Writing in a blog post, Facebook’s Tessa Lyons said 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”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Instead the site will now display related fact-checked articles next to disputed news stories.
Facebook said it had tested the approach and found that, although the new approach did not reduce the number of times disputed articles were clicked on, “it did lead to them being shared fewer times”, reports the BBC.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have faced calls to do more to tackle the spread of misinformation and propaganda.
There is also an ongoing debate as to whether sites like Facebook function as merely a third party platform or should be classified as publishers, and regulated as such.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Facebook: Sarah Wynn-Williams' shocking exposéTalking Point Former executive's tell-all memoir of life behind the scenes at Meta 'makes for damning reading'
-
The pros and cons of social mediaPros and Cons Building connections, revolutionizing news and expanding horizons vs. concerns around mental health, fake news and privacy
-
Should young teenagers be allowed in the metaverse?Talking Point Children’s rights advocates urge Facebook parent company to block teens over safety concerns
-
Kanye West, Parler and the rise of right-wing social mediaTalking Point Controversial rapper agrees deal to buy Twitter-style platform as conservatives ‘flock’ to ‘free speech’ apps
-
Free app access for The Week’s subscribers during Royal Mail strikesSpeed Read If you have a subscription to The Week magazine you can read the digital edition on your tablet or phone
-
Comic Relief to end ‘white saviour’ celebrity trips to AfricaSpeed Read Charity’s appeal videos described by critics as ‘poverty porn’ and ‘devoid of dignity’
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to star in ‘fly-on-the-wall’ Netflix reality showSpeed Read Former minister accuses couple of ‘exploiting’ royal links with big-bucks deal
-
Royal officials to ‘scrutinise’ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $150m Netflix deal
Speed Read Duke and Duchess of Sussex have inked agreement to produce documentaries and films for the streaming service
