Google has introduced a label to help readers identify fact-check articles in Google News. Google News labels stories according to the kind of content and origin. Major stories of local origin are labelled “Local Source,” opinion pieces have the “opinion” label, and Wikipedia stories are tagged as “Wikipedia”.
In the information age inaccurate stories can spread quickly. Sites that depend on clickbait for traffic can potentially fabricate news articles as well, or spread rumours. Fact checking sites monitor major stories and verify the authenticity of the content and sources. Articles that are fact checked by reputed fact checking networks will be tagged with the label in Google News. The measure is to help readers easily identify the major stories that have been verified by fact checking organisations.
Fact checking networks monitor over 100 news publication sites for the accuracy of the information posted. Fact checking is a collaborative effort, and one of the largest initiatives is the International Fact Checking Network. The labels can be seen in the expanded story window on Google News. The update has rolled out first on the UK and US versions of the site. The labels will be seen on both the web version of the site and on the apps for iOS and Android.