Fake-news fighters leap into breach to plug misinformation
Accuracy crusade needs coordination
From a co-working space in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo, Eli Pariser was reading a post-election article on the “insolvable” problem of fake news when the idea hit him.
Why not create a rolling document, collecting ideas from the best and brightest minds in corporate America, academia and journalism to curtail the scourge of the misinformation ecosystem? Pariser, CEO of Upworthy, a viral news site that leans toward liberal social causes and author of
The Filter Bubble, grabbed his laptop and started a Google doc called “Design Solutions for Fake News” that has swelled to 155 pages and counting.
“It’s similar to the spam problem in the 1990s. We fixed that, and we can fix this,” says Sunil Paul, an Internet entrepreneur who founded companies such as Brightmail and Freeloader and has created a group, The Truth Project, to eradicate the problem. His solution? A mix of technology, social incentives and laws.
Pariser and Paul are part of a growing army of individuals, citizen groups and app developers coming up with solutions to erase fake news on Facebook and Google.
Many say they have entered the breach because larger companies have been reluctant to act out of fear of angering conservative groups.
Thursday, Facebook waded in: It said it intends to make it easier for fact-checking organizations to spot faux articles and for members to report a hoax. Additionally, the social network is eliminating financial incentives for spammers.
Facebook spokesman Andy Stone says the company is exploring various avenues, including partnering with professional fact-checkers.
A spectrum of solutions, all in the early stages, could make a dent though they’ll require coordination, a measured approach and, most importantly, time and money.
Paul’s idea to fight fake news, which could take the form of a non-profit project, may marry concepts in technology, social incentives and laws.
Ridding the Internet of fake news will take time.
For now, the biggest challenge is stitching together so many ideas in a unified effort to avoid duplication of effort or — worse — conflicting technologies.
“Coordination is important, so we don’t walk on each other’s toes,” says Claire Wardle, research director of First Draft News, a coalition of nine nonprofit groups that focus on usergenerated content.