In an effort to tackle fake news, Google has updated its guidelines, to particularly forbid websites in Google News which misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information or engage in coordinated activity to mislead users.
In an effort to tackle fake news, Google has updated its guidelines, to particularly forbid websites in Google News which misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information or engage in coordinated activity to mislead users.
The company mentioned in a blog, “Google News may also remove sites participating in other misleading practices not listed in these guidelines. Clearly attributed syndicated content is also acceptable as long as it isn’t a majority of the content on the site.” Google will also allow publishers to file a spam report if they believe another publisher has violated the company’s new inclusion guidelines.
In conversation with Bloomberg, a Google spokeswoman stated that Google is updating its policies on a regular basis to reflect a constantly changing web. She says, “As a result, we want to ensure that people can understand and see where their news online is coming from and that sites are being transparent about their origins.”
There is no secret as to why the company is implementing such rules. This move comes forward at a time when companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google are under a lot of pressure to stop the spread of fake news.
Even in this age of fake news, planting false stories to smear rivals may backfire if you are caught in the act. In a recent study, researchers said companies that spread fake news against their competitors ultimately experience the brunt of negative publicity and reputational damage.
The team examined a real-life case from 2012 in South Korea, when a customer reportedly found a dead rat in a loaf of bread made by one of the country's most popular bakery brands. The company's business plummeted, until a reporter discovered that a rival bakery had whipped up the fake story.
Suddenly, the offending franchise found itself in the hot seat, in the media and online. "People doubted the credibility of this firm and its management practices," said Gene Moo Lee, from the University of British Columbia in Canada.
"What's more, the offender was a franchisee, which ultimately tarnished the reputation of the larger company. This study showed that deceptive marketing just does not pay," Lee said in the study published in the Journal of Business Ethics.
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