New system developed to identify fake news
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LONDON - Scientists have developed an algorithm-based system that identifies telltale signs in fake news stories could provide news aggregator and social media sites like Google News with a new weapon in the fight against misinformation.
Researchers from the University of Michigan in the US who developed the system have demonstrated that it is comparable to and sometimes better than humans at correctly identifying fake news stories.
In a recent study, it successfully found fakes up to 76 per cent of the time, compared to a human success rate of 70 per cent.
In addition, their linguistic analysis approach could be used to identify fake news articles that are too new to be debunked by cross-referencing their facts with other stories.
Rada Mihalcea, professor at University of Michigan, said an automated solution could be an important tool for sites that are struggling to deal with an onslaught of fake news stories, often created to generate clicks or to manipulate public opinion.
Catching fake stories before they have real consequences can be difficult, as aggregator and social media sites today rely heavily on human editors who often can't keep up with the influx of news.
