In order to curb the propagation of fake news online, Google will be introducing a new ‘Fact Check’ tag to its search results. The label will identify article that includes information fact checked by news publishers and fact-checking organisations.
The search giant states that after assessing feedback from both users and publishers, the company is now making the Fact Check label in Google News available everywhere, and expanding it into Search globally in all languages.
So, for example, when you search some news on Google that returns an authoritative result containing fact checks for one or more public claims, you will see that information clearly on the search results page. The snippet will display information on the claim, who made the claim, and the fact check of that particular claim.
“This information won’t be available for every search result, and there may be search result pages where different publishers checked the same claim and reached different conclusions. These fact checks are not Google’s and are presented so people can make more informed judgements. Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it’s still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree. As we make fact checks more visible in Search results, we believe people will have an easier time reviewing and assessing these fact checks and making their own informed opinions,” the company said in blog post.