In an era where misinformation is rampant, YouTube, one of the world’s largest video-sharing platforms, is making significant strides to promote news from ‘authoritative sources’. This initiative is part of a broader effort to combat the spread of fake news and misinformation, and to ensure that viewers have access to reliable and accurate information.
YouTube’s News Hub and Immersive Watch Page
YouTube has introduced a new “immersive watch page experience” designed to suggest more news content when users are watching news videos. This feature appears when you open a video that has a newspaper icon and highlights relevant long-form videos, livestreams, podcasts, and Shorts videos beneath the currently playing content. The recommended videos are all from major news publishers like The Associated Press, Sky News, and CBS Evening News.
In addition to this, YouTube is also rolling out a dedicated news hub. This hub pulls together news from “authoritative sources” in several formats: video on demand, live streams, podcasts, and “Shorts”. The aim is to help users learn more about a topic or story from several sources and angles and to make it easy for them to explore an issue in depth.
Promotion of News Content from Authoritative Sources
YouTube is heavily promoting videos from vetted news sources on the site’s Top News and Breaking News sections to make it easier for users to find quality news. The platform is also investing $1.6 million to promote the creation of news content for its short form Shorts service, working with over 20 organizations across 10 countries.
Algorithm Changes and Impact on News Recommendations
YouTube’s algorithm plays a crucial role in determining which videos are recommended to users. Over the years, YouTube has made several updates to its algorithm, which have had a significant impact on content creators and publishers. In 2016, YouTube added AI and machine learning to its algorithm, which dramatically changed the types of videos it served up to people.
The algorithm takes into account a variety of factors such as the viewer’s watch history, search queries, and engagement with videos. It is designed to keep users on the platform for as long as possible, by recommending content that is relevant and engaging to each viewer.
Recommendations drive a significant amount of the overall viewership on YouTube, even more than channel subscriptions or search. Over the years, a growing number of viewers have come to YouTube for news and information. These topics are where the quality of information and context matter most.
User Experience and Audience Satisfaction
YouTube’s algorithm has evolved over the years to reward viewer satisfaction over total clicks and views. The platform’s top priority is to rank content according to what will leave a user feeling satisfied.
The success of YouTube’s recommendations depends on accurately predicting the videos users want to watch. When the recommendations are at their best, they connect billions of people around the world to content that uniquely inspires, informs, and entertains.
Criticism and Challenges
Despite these efforts, YouTube’s algorithm has been criticized for highlighting conspiracy theories and fake news. The platform has also been criticized for prioritizing watch time over user satisfaction.
Moreover, research from Mozilla shows that user controls have little effect on which videos YouTube’s influential AI recommends. Over a seven-month period, one rejected video spawned, on average, about 115 bad recommendations—videos that closely resembled the ones participants had already told YouTube they didn’t want to see.
The Importance of a Well-Informed Electorate in a Democracy
In a democracy, having a well-informed electorate is crucial. It allows citizens to make informed decisions about who to vote for and what policies to support. It also enables them to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions.
By promoting news from authoritative sources, YouTube is playing a vital role in ensuring that its users have access to reliable and accurate information. This is particularly important in today’s digital age, where misinformation can spread rapidly and have serious consequences.
In conclusion, YouTube’s push to promote news from authoritative sources is a significant step towards combating misinformation and ensuring that viewers have access to reliable and accurate information. However, there are still challenges to overcome, particularly in terms of the platform’s algorithm and its impact on user recommendations. As one of the world’s largest video-sharing platforms and the platform of choice of younger viewers for long form video, YouTube has a crucial role to play in promoting a well-informed electorate in a democracy.
