Microsoft's web browser now warns users about untrustworthy news
Microsoft's web browser now warns users about untrustworthy news. Here's how your favorite publications stack up.
Ben Gilbert 1h
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...ac-750-288.jpgNewsGuard/Google/Business Insider
- Microsoft's new version of its popular web browser now warns users about potentially untrustworthy news sources.
- The service it uses is called NewsGuard — a third-party application run by journalists (including a Business Insider board member) who evaluate publications and rate them on a variety of factors.
- Publications such as The Washington Post and Fox News are considered trustworthy, while warnings are issued for Breitbart, DailyKOS, The Daily Mail, and more.
Ever clicked on a news story only to discover that it's from some publication you've never heard of?
How did you determine if it was a trustworthy news source?
That problem is more prevalent than ever, as tens of millions of people get their news primarily from places like Facebook and Twitter.
Microsoft is aiming to tackle the problem with a major addition to its web browser: a built-in tool called NewsGuard that warns users before they click on a potentially untrustworthy news source.
The idea is simple: Users see a "Nutritional Label," similar to those seen on food products, that explains why the publication has been deemed trustworthy or untrustworthy.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...63-750-387.jpg
The British tabloid Daily Mail is flagged as problematic because of credibility and transparency issues, according to NewsGuard. The Daily Mail/NewsGuard
The tool is rolling out to mobile users of Microsoft's Edge browser now, but is expected to head to other platforms in the future.
NewsGuard is also available as an extension for Chrome, Google's ubiquitous internet browser, and we used it to check the ratings of a variety of publications:
1. The New York Times: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...72-750-394.jpgNewsGuard/The New York Times
2. Fox News: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...14-750-347.jpgNewsGuard/Fox News
3. The Washington Post: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...44-750-382.jpgNewsGuard/The Washington Post
4. The Guardian: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...c0-750-376.jpgNewsGuard / The Guardian
5. The Wall Street Journal: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...95-750-375.jpgNewsGuard/Wall Street Journal
6. National Review: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...fe-750-394.jpgNewsGuard/National Review
7. The NY Post: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...27-750-398.jpgNewsGuard/The New York Post
8. The Daily News: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...28-750-403.jpgNewsGuard/The Daily News
9. The Federalist: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...53-750-381.jpgNewsGuard/The Federalist
10. The Economist: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...92-750-396.jpgNewsGuard/The Economist
11. Breitbart: Not trustworthy.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...d5-750-394.jpgNewsGuard/Breitbart
12. The Daily Kos: Not trustworthy.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...de-750-398.jpgNewsGuard/DailyKOS
13. Russia Today (RT): Not trustworthy.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...48-750-363.jpgNewsGuard/RT
14. The Times of Israel: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...c9-750-361.jpgNewsGuard/The Times of Israel
15. Business Insider: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...c3-750-288.jpgBut you already knew that, didn't you? NewsGuard/Google/Business Insider
16. The Huffington Post: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...7a-750-398.jpgNewsGuard/The Huffington Post
17. Al Jazeera: Not trustworthy.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...20-750-348.jpgNewsGuard/Al Jazeera
18. Bloomberg: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...a9-750-392.jpgNewsGuard/Bloomberg
19. BuzzFeed News: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...7c-750-399.jpgNewsGuard/BuzzFeed News
20. MSNBC: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...da-750-313.jpgNewsGuard/MSNBC
21: The Associated Press (AP): Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...03-750-398.jpgNewsGuard/AP
22. The Daily Beast: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...d1-750-393.jpgNewsGuard/TheDaily Beast
23. TMZ: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...55-750-393.jpgNewsGuard/TMZ
24. Splinter: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...e2-750-368.jpgNewsGuard/Splinter
25. Vice News: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...78-750-367.jpgNewsGuard/Vice
26. Forbes: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...3e-750-390.jpgNewsGuard/Forbes
27. The Los Angeles Times: Trustworthy!
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...5b-750-335.jpgNewsGuard/LA Times
28. Time: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...34-750-376.jpgNewsGuard/Time
29. BBC: Trustworthy, with caveats.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/imag...30-750-397.jpgNewsGuard/BBC
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