Facebook to let users rank 'trust' in news sources

SAN FRANCISCO, ( AFP) - Facebook announced it will ask its 2bn users to rank their trust in news sources, in its latest attempt to combat the spread of misinformation on the social network. The change comes as the online giant seeks to address charges that it has failed -- along with Google and Twitter -- to prevent the spread of bogus news.

In a Facebook post, co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the network would seek to “prioritise news that is trustworthy, informative, and local.” “There's too much sensationalism, misinformation and polarisation in the world today,” Zuckerberg said. “Social media enables people to spread information faster than ever before, and if we don't specifically tackle these problems, then we end up amplifying them.” The new “trusted sources” ranking, which starts next week, would aim to “make sure the news you see is high quality” and “helps build a sense of common ground” rather than sow division, Zuckerberg said.

To do so, he said, Facebook decided to rely on member surveys as the most “objective” way to rank trust in news sources. The new ranking system, he said, would hopefully separate news organizations that are only trusted by their readers or watchers, from ones that are broadly trusted across society.

The latest move comes a week after Facebook announced a major update to its user feed that highlights what friends and family share on the network, over advertisements, celebrity and media posts.

The company cast the change as part of a refocus on “community” -- prioritizing social interactions and relationships - - whi l e acknowledging it would likely result in people spending less time on the platform.

Zuckerberg says he plans to target abuse and hate, and interference by nation states.