If you read a lot of news on the internet, then the term ‘fake news’ is probably not unknown to you. Google is now doing its part in the fight against today’s fake news by giving more context to news stories that you read via Google News.
For the time being, it seems that Google has not yet launched the new function in the Netherlands, but already in the United States. That is why we already get a good impression of the upcoming position, which will hopefully come to our country soon. In essence, the feature is very simple. When you search for a controversial topic, you will also see a message that delves deeper into the matter. This way you may get a more complete picture of that subject.
Google News provides more context
Images of the function have already been shared on Twitter. The images show that the block for the extra context is quite small, so you can unfortunately read over it with some ease.
What you should pay attention to is the following. The first image shows news from Forbes and the second image from CNET. Below those headings is an extra block with more context for the subject: a link to an extensive article with more explanation or explanation.
This feature is not intended to prioritize certain sites in the news – or to divert attention from specific websites – but purely for providing additional information. Google has set up various panels within the News section for this, on all kinds of different topics. So there is no unfamiliar agenda behind it, except that certain types of news simply need more explanation – and Google can offer that explanation.
No experiment
Google has since confirmed that this is not an experiment, but a feature that is actually being rolled out to Google News. It is not known exactly how the background information is added – but a quote from a representative suggests that it is done manually.
“When we see that a particular publication provides background information on a relevant topic, we add that article to the search results,” said the representative opposite. The Verge.
Many social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, are fighting a flood of fake news, for example around covid-19. Leaving such matters to an algorithm also seems somewhat dangerous to us, because wrong information (not necessarily disinformation) can still be shared. That is why we hope that Google will handle this wisely and wait until the system works and the company is sure that all information is in the right place.
At the time of writing, it is not known when the extra context will also come to the Dutch Google News.
.