Facebook takes first step towards combating fake news

Social media site Facebook is taking its first concrete steps to combat the fake news phenomenon that has developed into a major issue in the United States and elsewhere since the presidential election.

Various news headlines could be seen on Facebook, Twitter and other sites, which were blatantly falsified, potentially warping the opinion of readers on key issues.

On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg's company revealed however that it would be collaborating with users and fact-checking organisations in order to flag hoax articles as soon as possible in order to minimise their influence.

ABC News and The Associated Press are among the organisations which will assist in the fact-checking process.

In a post on his personal Facebook page, Zuckerberg announced the changes were important as his company now takes on a greater responsibility in the news world.

"While we don't write the news stories you read and share, we also recognize we're more than just a distributor of news," Zuckerberg wrote.

"We're a new kind of platform for public discourse – and that means we have a new kind of responsibility to enable people to have the most meaningful conversations, and to build a space where people can be informed."

In the days following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election last month, Zuckerberg was quick to dismiss Facebook's role as a news distributor, but as the clamour surrounding fake articles becomes more significant, the company has had to adopt a different stance.

"We believe in giving people a voice and that we cannot become arbiters of truth ourselves, so we're approaching this problem carefully," Adam Mosseri, vice president of product management, said in a another blog post.