Facebook Announces First Step in War on Fake News

Facebook on Thursday announced a concrete step toward combating the spread of fake news. NPR reports Facebook will allow users to flag stories they believe to be fake. Those stories will then be forwarded on to one of several fact-checking organizations that have signed on to Poynter's International Fact Checking Code of Principles, according to CNN. (Facebook won't be fact-checking stories itself.) If the fact-checker decides the story is false, it will be labeled "disputed by 3rd Party Fact-Checkers" on Facebook. Users will still be able to share the story but won't be able to turn it into a promoted ad. Facebook says a lot of fake news is being created to make money, and hopefully this will help fight that. Disputed stories may also be placed lower in the News Feed. (More Facebook stories.)