Misinformation is a neverending problem on the internet and the Big Tech companies are always looking for new ways to address it. On Thursday, Google announced its latest feature to take on the dissemination of fake news online: A new “highly cited” label.
So, what is this highly cited label and where will it appear? According to Google, this new label will show up on news stories that are frequently cited by other media outlets covering the same story. In its announcement, the search giant gave an example of an exclusive local news story that is picked up by numerous national outlets that proceed to cover the story. Google search will highlight the local news outlet’s original piece at the top of the search results page when users seek out the story and apply the highly cited label to that original story.
An example of the highly cited label in action.
Credit: Google
This is actually a really helpful new feature. Users searching for information about breaking news will be able to find the original report, regardless of how many larger outlets picked it up. Sometimes, in those summarizations or rewrites from other outlets, crucial context or details could be left out which appear in the original report.
The new feature also rewards original reporting. If the new feature works as intended, journalists’ original work will be seen by more people regardless of competition from outlets with bigger reach or stronger search engine optimization.
Google says the new highly cited label feature will roll out over the next few weeks.
With International Fact-Checking Day around the corner (April 2), Google also compiled some tips in order to find legit sources and buff up on your media literacy skills.