Can Facebook save us from 'fake news'?

On Thursday’s “Pat & Stu,” the guys took a look at Facebook’s new “fake news” guidelines and talked about what could be helpful as well as how the tips could pose an issue.

The social network has been rolling out a way for users to report articles they deem fake, including hoax news stories, unreliable sources and pictures used out of context. Facebook doesn’t pull articles or ban sources from being shared, but users will notice a little red flag if the story has been reported as fake news.

Pat Gray and Stu Burgiere shared their thoughts on each of Facebook’s fake news guidelines, which include being skeptical of headlines that include words in all caps, watching for strange formatting and bad English, and checking dates since some fake news sites will share an older story out of context. Checking for multiple news sources is an additional safety measure.

“If you don’t see a lot of sources on it, likely it’s either not true or they’re speculating,” Stu noted.

While Pat and Stu thought the guidelines were fairly helpful, they noted one problem that could get Facebook in trouble: if third-party fact-checkers tend to mark conservative stories, such as an article on global warming, as “fake.”

To see more from Pat & Stu, visit their channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “Pat & Stu” with Pat Gray, Stu Burguiere and Jeffy Fisher weekdays 5–7 p.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.