YouTube invests $25 million to fix its breaking news problem

Google is showering more attention on YouTube as part of its effort to fight fake news. The streaming video behemoth has unveiled updates to its service and partnerships to not only boost access to credible news reports, but shoot down dubious claims. In the US, YouTube will soon show relevant articles next to developing news stories and highlight more local news stories. On an international level, it now links to fact-checking articles when searching for videos on a "small number" of subjects prone to bogus claims (like the Moon landing). People in 17 countries (including the US and UK) also have access to Breaking News and Top News features that surface relevant stories on your home page.

The improvements also involve refining the way YouTube tackles news going forward. It's spending $25 million on an initiative that will create a working group (involving organizations like Vox and India Today) for improving YouTube's news experience, fund news outlets creating "sustainable" video operations and widen support for news publishers. A digital literacy education strategy (with help from organizations like Stanford University and the Poynter Institute) to help teens think critically about the videos they watch.

As with Google's larger news strategy, YouTube is responding to allegations that it doesn't do enough to thwart conspiracy peddlers and ensure that the news you see is trustworthy. If it succeeds, it could both make YouTube a go-to news source and fend off allegations that it's prone to manipulation by hostile actors. Just remember that it's a big "if" -- the company has an imperfect track record of addressing fake stories.

Source: YouTube Official Blog



via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2KI8GeB
RSS Feed

If New feed item from http://www.engadget.com/rss-full.xml, then send me

IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Read more