YouTube commits $25 million to fight fake news

YouTube has announced a new initiative to combat the spread of conspiracy theory videos and fake news. As a step forward, it has committed $25 million to include suitable context from highly reliable sources into search results about popular topics. Additionally, it was also reported that YouTube was working with Google News Initiative, which was launched this year to better help content publishers as well as journalists.

The funding is derived from YouTube’s parent company Google to create a working group of media organizations and relevant experts to help YouTube develop new features. Some agencies that are already onboard the working group include Vox Media, India Today and Jovem Pan, a Brazilian radio station. The money is also to be used in building a team that would directly work with news agencies.

YouTube has been under intense scrutiny for the spread of conspiracy theories about a number of historical and recent events such as the 2016 American Presidential election and the Florida school shootings. Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube promised to implement strict measures to curb the spread of fake news and make YouTube a more reliable source of information. This move is seen as being somewhat similar to Facebook’s attempts to fight fake news by adding relevant information about articles and publishers.

This initiative would also support MediaWise, a non-profit that aims to help teens develop media and internet awareness.