Facebook helps readers tell truth from fiction
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said yesterday that it is testing a way to let members know when articles posted to the social network are tongue-in-cheek instead of hand-on-heart.
Evidently, users of the world’s leading social network need a bit of help when it comes to discerning truth from fiction in the form of satire crafted to pushed boundaries of credulity.
Facebook told AFP they are testing a “satire” tag to go in front of links to satirical articles that pop up in news feeds at the service.
“This is because we received feedback that people wanted a clearer way to distinguish satirical articles from others in these units,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
Website literallyunbelievable.org lists a cornucopia of seemingly serious responses at Facebook to blatantly satirical stories, including pieces from The Onion, which specializes in the fake news genre.
