Tweaking a global source of news

[Commentary] Internet intermediaries are increasingly playing the role that publishers and editors once played. From selecting sources to curating trending news to deciding which news is real or fake, companies like Facebook and Google are at the forefront of how much of the world receives its news. Taken together, these internet giants are 10 times the size of the largest media organization 15 years ago, according to media expert Robert McChesney.

The success of misinformation, counterfeit news, and “computational propaganda” on social media platforms has highlighted the economic incentives embedded in social media platforms that not only helped “fake news” flourish but may even work against quality journalism. In seeking to combat the proliferation of “fake news,” Google and Facebook launched partnerships with fact-checking organizations, but also tweaked their algorithms and sought ways to surface more authoritative content. The signals they use, however, may end up marginalizing those on the outer edges of the ideological spectrum or freelance journalists in favor of larger, more established, and mainstream outlets.

[Courtney Radsch is the advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists.]