Twitter is expanding its ability to provide users with reliable information about why a topic is trending.
Twitter is improving how it helps users informed about trending topics via a tie-up with The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.
Twitter will increase the speed and scale at which it provides context to popular topics of conversation by partnering with AP and Reuters.
Twitter is explaining top trends on a limited scale at the moment. This is accomplished by adding additional information to the trends, such as a Twitter Moment, a single tweet, or a written summary.
Twitter aims to enhance the delivery of this data in a few key ways:
- Scale: Users can expect to see additional contextual descriptions about Twitter trends going forward.
- Speed: Information about trending topics of conversation will be provided in real-time as they emerge.
- Accuracy: This collaboration will allow Twitter to deliver reliable information when facts are in doubt.
- Trustworthiness: Links to reports from reputable sources will be provided more frequently.
Additionally, Twitter will attempt to provide information about topics before they go viral.
Twitter tries to get out the facts before misinformation spreads on topics where there is potential for misleading information.
Twitter contextualizes evolving discourse as it develops, rather than waiting until it goes viral.
Twitter initially rolled out explanations for trending topics back in September 2020. While beneficial at times, they’re not displayed for all trends, and they definitely don’t appear in real-time.
In addition to speed and scale issues, Twitter needs help with fact-checking as well, which is being addressed by the AP & Reuters collaboration.
A lot of work goes into fact-checking viral web content, and Twitter doesn’t have the resources to do it internally. Even Facebook outsources its fact-checking.
At the moment, Twitter’s curation team adds explanations to trending topics, but they don’t have the expertise of investigative journalists.
That’s where AP and Reuters come in. Now, Twitter has the resources available to spread the truth before misinformation spreads too far.
For this initial phase of the program, AP and Reuters will focus on English-language content.
Twitter says these efforts will expand as time goes on to support languages and time zones around the world.
Whenever people come to Twitter to find out what’s happening, we want to make sure they can easily find reliable information. As Twitter grows, we will be able to provide timely, authoritative context to a much wider range of global topics and conversations that happen every day on Twitter.
Source: Twitter