Items tagged with news
This past weekend, we talked about how Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg were planning to combat the "fake news" problem we've likely all seen on a regular basis. This comes hot on the heels of Donald Trump becoming president-elect, as it's a no secret that this political season has been rife with misleading headlines and information. Well, Zuckerberg isn't immune to irony, and has just been hit with what might be his biggest dose. In the very post where he talks about his company's plans to eradicate fake news, two blatantly fake news posts could be found right beside it: What makes this truly ridiculous is that these ads were paid, and Facebook is supposed to give the a-OK to all ads...
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The spread of misinformation and fake news via the internet is running rampant. As both a news writer and teaching assistant/college professor, I am in the unique position of not only battling misinformation online, but also in a university classroom. A Stanford University study recently discovered that many preteens and teenagers are unable to detect fake news, despite having tools at their disposal to to determine the validity of content. These future voters and leaders were unable to tell whether or not the articles they read were legitimate, accurate, or unbiased. Social media does not appear to be helping the issue. Facebook, as well as many other sites, have been accused of interfering...
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Facebook has been under fire the last few months for spreading misinformation and "fake news." Some have even accused fake Facebook News Feed Stories of affecting the outcome of the 2016 American presidential election. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg recently laid out how the company plans on combating the dissemination of fake news. He noted that he does not usually share information about this process, but all the recent hubbub has pressured him to offer a few a details. Facebook’s Trending Stories team was accused this year for suppressing politically conservative news stories. The entire Trending Stories editorial staff was fired and replaced with an algorithm. The biased stories,...
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Facebook gave the world a heads up earlier this month that it was planning to host full-length news articles as part of a new initiative called Instant Articles, and now just over a week later, the social network is ready to make good on that promise. What that means for you (assuming you use Facebook) is a better reading experience, versus clicking through to an external site that sometimes takes up to 8 seconds to load. In addition to speed, Instant Articles boasts a few interactive features that publishers can take advantage of. For example, you can zoom in and get a closer look at parts of a high-resolution photo by tilting your phone; watch auto-play videos spring to life as you scroll through...
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Not content with being your source for news about friends and family, Facebook is pushing to become your source for all news. The company is reportedly wooing major news outlets to place their content directly on Facebook, rather than clicking through to their respective sites. However, Facebook may be getting some resistance from organizations that are reluctant to publish their content on Facebook, rather than on their own websites. Apparently, they’re not familiar with that old Borg saying. As it stands right now, many Facebook users are already getting their news from Facebook. They liked their favorite national and local newspapers and they scan the headlines that appear...
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Google may be an archrival of Apple, but you know what they say: keep your enemies closer. The search giant has never shied away from producing excellent apps for the iOS ecosystem. After all, a Google user on an Apple phone is still a Google user. In a bid to continue to expand its footprint in the Apple App Store, Google has just published a "News and Weather" app for iOS that combines two of the most commonly used scenarios on a smartphone into a single, tailored app experience. The News and Weather app works on iPhone and iPad, but the visual cues are straight from Android. It's an interesting dynamic, but it looks pretty snazzy even on Apple's newest version of iOS. For avid Google users,...
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Facebook is launching an app called “Paper” that appears to be an effort to bring you all the best news features of Facebook without actually being on Facebook. “Paper makes storytelling more beautiful with an immersive design and fullscreen, distraction-free layouts. We’ve also made it easier to craft and share beautiful stories of your own,” reads the blog post announcing Paper. In other words, Paper makes it easier and more enjoyable to catch up on news from your friends as well as the news from various outlets. In addition to your NewsFeed, which is the default section, you can browse a variety of other sections that pertain to topics you’re interested...
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There’s a lot of news out there, but there’s also a lot of “news”--that link bait stuff with sensational headlines and other detritus that just clogs up the Internet. Jason Calacanis is seeking to offer a tidier way of curating the news with a mobile app called Inside.com. The goal is to provide a stream of news headlines every day that are hand-curated by real people and link back to original sources. The Inside.com team just wants the good stuff, actual journalism, and Inside.com promises over a thousand posts every day. The posts will include a headline and up to a 300-word summary with the salient facts listed. Ideally, users will hit the source links and read the...
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If you've been around the internet for as long as we have, you'll probably relate to something: this place is getting noisy, and nosier by the day. It has become practically impossible to keep up with what's going on each day on the 'net, even if you're trying solely to focus on a specific area of interest. There's simply too much going on, too much conversation, and too many social channels to keep track of. Which is why Slashdot's CmdrTaco (Rob Malda) is introducing Trove. Trove has been around since 2010, but it's being re-invented this week as a new news curation tool. Specifically, it's a "social news app bringing you the best stories picked by people who share your interests." Each...
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In the world of streaming media (and streaming content in particular), Hulu has become a gigantic name -- right up there with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. And that's partly because of the huge names behind it. Both News Corp. and Walt Disney Company have a stake in Hulu, and according to a new report, the two giants are talking behind closed doors. About what? About a potential buyout. It seems that discussions are ongoing that could see either News Corp. or Walt Disney Co. buy one or the other's stake out, with control of Hulu going to whichever company did the buying. Each company owns about a third of Hulu, so if they combine, there's your majority stake. It is also reported that these...
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As any parent will attest, it's usually your kids that make you feel old, as all their little (and big) milestones are constant reminders of how quickly time truly does fly. In this business of covering all things technology, where things move at a feverish pace, iconic websites that stand the test of time have the same effect. So it goes with Slashdot, a site that's been serving up popular "News for Nerds" and "Stuff that matters" for the past 15 years. Where has the time gone? Featuring user-submitted news in blog format, Slashdot is one of our favorite websites, and one of the most popular around with some 3.7 million unique visitors per month. "Slashdot exists for and because of everyone...
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Not getting enough news in your day? With a 24/7 news cycle spinning around these days, there are plenty of options for learning about the goings-on in any locale. For those that can't get their CNN fix in enough ways, however, the company has announced that it will be the first news network to stream 24-hour coverage online and on mobile devices. The new CNN.com will be showcasing constant streaming of CNN and HLN, as well as on-demand video and multi-tasking support. CNN and HLN's complete 24-hour television networks will also be streamed live on the CNN App for iPad and the CNN App for iPhone and iPod touch beginning today, July 18. CNN Worldwide is the first news organization to stream...
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Yahoo is hoping to attract advertisers with the launch of its new Livestand digital newsstand service. Livestand promises to deliver the content consumers want based on their interests, time of day, and location. For advertisers, Yahoo promises an "interactive canvas that brings magazine-style ads to the tablet." Livestand from Yahoo! is expected to launch in the first half of 2011 with versions for the iPad and Android tablets. A version for mobile phones will follow. Introducing Livestand from Yahoo! - A personalized digital newsstand for tablets and mobile phones. February 10, 2011 - SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO - News) today announced Livestand from Yahoo!,...
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It's been about two years since millions of Sony notebook batteries across many different OEM lines were recalled, due to overheating --- and fire problems. We assume you haven't forgotten about that, because here we are again. Here's hoping this isn't the beginning of another long list of recalls involving Sony batteries. At any rate, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the recall on Thursday. According to the recall, There have been 19 reports of the batteries overheating, including 17 reports of flames/fire (10 resulting in minor property damage). Two consumers experienced minor burns.Check out the full list below. It's pretty long, bug only consists of about 35,000 batteries...
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