Google is making some changes to Search and News in order to help users identify trusted sources and avoid misinformation on the internet. The company it is rolling out new features with an aim of providing users with tips on how to evaluate online information.
According to Google, it is adding a new “highly cited” label in Search results to direct users to trusted sources. The new label, which will appear in the Top Stories of Google News, is designed to help users identify stories (search results) that have been cited by other news organizations.
Google’s “highly cited” label is launching soon on mobile in the United States and it will gradually roll out on a global scale in the coming weeks. The company says that the label will be placed on investigative articles, interviews, announcements, press releases, local news stories and more.
“Let’s say a local news organization breaks an investigative story looking into problems at your local school district,” said the company. “The story is so big that it gets picked up by numerous other media outlets. But what if you didn’t see that original story, which had unique context for local residents? We’re introducing a way to help you identify stories that have been frequently cited by other news organizations, giving you a simple way to find the most helpful or relevant information for a news story.” the statement added.
This update to Google Search and News will help users to identify the original source regarding the searched topic, which will provide them a unique context. In addition to the new highly cited label, Google is also expanding its “rapidly evolving topics” notice that appears alongside breaking news in search results to indicate that it can take time for information to be published.
Now, the English searches in the United States will provide users with information on how to evaluate online news results. Google will also share tips for users to reliably utilize online fact-checking tools. The search giant has already added the “About this result” option to Search, which can be utilized by tapping on the three-dot menu on any search result and then selecting the “More about this page” option.
The option will provide users with details regarding the source, see reviews about a site, and find additional coverage on the topic you are searching, like top new coverage to find other relevant stories. The feature will release globally for all English-language searches soon.
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