YouTube introduces additional information panels to show if a news publisher is funded by the government or not

With General Elections now underway in many regions of India, YouTube is taking some new measures that are aimed at adding more transparency and context for news content on the platform. It is now rolling out additional information panels in English and Hindi language, which will enable viewers to understand if a channel owned by a news publisher is “funded in whole or in part" by a government or if it is a “public broadcast service”. A link to the publisher’s Wikipedia page will also be provided and all this new information will be available on the watch panel of all the videos on a news publisher’s YouTube channel. 

The online video-sharing platform also features two sections where users can view Top News and discover Breaking News. Both sections display videos from authoritative news sources but the Top News shelf prominently highlights videos in search results. On the other hand, the Breaking News shelf shows up on the YouTube homepage and is meant to convey information about the latest breaking news from trusted sources. The two features are available in more than 30 countries worldwide, and in both English and Hindi in India. 

On certain topics, events and publishers, users will also see information panels that provide additional context. YouTube also recently expanded its information panels to introduce fact checks from eligible publishers to the platform in both, English and Hindi. Such information panels are said to add context to new topics that are “prone to misinformation.” “The fact checks we surface rely on the open source Schema.org ClaimReview markup process. By following this process, any eligible publisher can contribute fact check articles that could show in search results on Google Search, Google News, and now, YouTube.” states YouTube’s media release. 

YouTube is not the only service that is trying to dispel fake news during this election season. WhatsApp recently added new privacy features that enable users to choose who can and cannot add them to groups. Additionally, in partnership with PROTO, WhatsApp has launched a tip line to curb the spread of misinformation and fake news on the platform. One can add the new tip line number +91-9643-000-888 to their contacts and use the contact to verify text messages, videos and photos circulating on the platform with regards to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 

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