Against false information: Twitter announces cooperation with fact checkers

Enlarge image

Twitter logo at company headquarters: More fact checks and context

Photo: Stephen Lam / REUTERS

The short message service Twitter has teamed up with news outlets Reuters and Associated Press to offer more fact checks or additional information on its platform. For example, in the case of major events that are discussed quickly and comprehensively on Twitter, additional information from credible, external sources should be displayed promptly. It would be conceivable that a tweet on a certain topic would be appended with appropriate fact checks or media reports that provide more context.

So far, Twitter has only shown fact checks and hints in exceptional cases. According to company guidelines, the reason may be that videos have been manipulated or the company fears that elections will be improperly influenced. The new collaboration is the first time that Twitter has collaborated with external media companies. The company said in a blog post on Monday that by working with the news agencies it should also be able to identify more quickly topics that are currently spreading quickly and are prone to misinformation.

Facebook and YouTube have been working with media companies for a long time to display fact checks under posts.

Like other social media companies, Twitter is facing demands to remove false reports or misleading information faster.

Former US President Donald Trump was a heavy user of Twitter.

The contents of his tweets were partly factually incorrect, partly polemical.

After Twitter annotated several of the President's tweets, Trump tried unsuccessfully to ban such interference with a government decree.

hpp / reuters