Facebook Adds Context Button in Ongoing #FakeNews Fight

Facebook has announced the social site is testing a button that will give news readers additional article context following another failed attempt to block the spread of fake news.

Now users will see an ‘i’ button on articles in their News Feed that, when clicked, will pop up a publisher information panel.

That information is pulled from Facebook and Wikipedia, among other sources, and presents readers with an option to follow the publisher’s page, view trending or related articles, and see how that article is being shared on the platform itself.

The company said the tool was designed to help readers make an “informed decision” about what stories to read, share and ultimately trust.

“Helping people access this important contextual information can help them evaluate if articles are from a publisher they trust, and if the story itself is credible,” wrote product managers Andrew Anker, Sara Su and Jeff Smith in a Facebook blog post.

When that kind of information isn’t available, Facebook will too let people know, which they said can also be “helpful context.”

Although it’s still being tested, the new context tool is Facebook’s latest effort to improve the integrity of news content being circulated on their platform. Facebook found itself in hot water earlier this week after the platform directed users to fake news about the Las Vegas mass-shooting.