Facebook is throwing away "disputed flags," one of its several attempts to curb the spread of fake news across the social network.。

SEE ALSO:Facebook doesn't scan Messenger for fake news. But it definitely should 。

About a year ago, Facebook launched the feature, where red flag icons were put next to articles that were identified to be false by a team of independent fact-checking organizations.。

But according to Facebook's research, the effort didn't help much. Facebook's team identified four reasons that disputed flags were not an ideal strategy, as shared in a blog post on Medium.。

1. Buried critical information。 Buried critical information。

2. a.k.a. required too many clicks。Could sometimes backfire。

3. because strong language or visuals can reinforce ideas。 Required at least two fact-checkers 。

4. so was a slow process to be applied 。Only worked for false ratings  。

so stories that were partly false or unproven were not marked 。

This admission comes amid scrutiny from parties not believing Facebook was doing enough. Independent fact-checkers working with Facebook critiqued the company for not sharing enough information with them at the time on how their efforts were doing.。Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.
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Thanks for signing up!。 What the disputed flag tool looked likeCredit: facebook  。"They have a big problem, and they are leaning on other organizations to clean up after them," one journalist working with Facebook told 。

The Guardian
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Going forward, Facebook will be focused on related articles, links of stories from reputable news sources. These will appear before a user even click-throughs to a website with the hope of showing accurate information and providing more context beyond just one headline. 。

Related articles lead to fewer shares than disputed flags attached to fake news stories, according to Facebook's researchers.。

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“Related Articles, by contrast, are simply designed to give more context, which our research has shown is a more effective way to help people get to the facts," Facebook product manager Tessa Lyons wrote in the blog post announcement.。

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Of course, this could all change in the future. Facebook is constantly updating how it displays stories on News Feed.
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Of course, this could all change in the future. Facebook is constantly updating how it displays stories on News Feed.。

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