Google-owned YouTube to invest $25mn in countering fake news
San Francisco, July 10: Google-owned video-sharing platform YouTube has announced it will invest $25 million to fight fake news -- especially for the urgent coverage of breaking news -- on its platform for over 1.8 billion monthly active users.
The investment will be part of the Google News Initiative (GNI), first introduced in March by the tech giant, to help the media and to deal with fake news.
"We're establishing a working group with news organisations and experts from around the world to help us develop new product features, improve the news experience on YouTube and tackle emerging challenges," said Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer ay YouTube, in a blog post late on Monday.
"News organisations including Vox Media, Jovem Pan and India Today are early members of the working group. We're looking forward to having more join as we convene the group in the coming weeks," added Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer.
Beginning in the coming weeks, when YouTube users in the US search for videos on breaking news, they will see short excerpts of the news as well as the links to different media.
In addition, YouTube will provide links to Wikipedia or the Encyclopedia Britannica with controversial videos or conspiratorial issues such as the Moon landing.
"We remain committed to working with the journalism community to build a more sustainable video ecosystem for news organisations," the post read.
To make it easier to find quality news, YouTube has launched "Top News" shelf that highlights videos from news sources in search results.
When a breaking news event happens, another new feature called "Breaking News" shelf will highlight videos from news organisations about that event directly on the YouTube homepage.
The "Top News" and "Breaking News" features have been launched in 17 countries, including in India.
Mohan and Kyncl admitted that "there is a lot of work to do", but underlined that they will try to "provide a better experience to users who come to YouTube every day to learn more about what is happening in the world from a diversity of sources".
"We will provide funding across approximately 20 global markets to support news organisations in building sustainable video operations," the blog post added.
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Virat Kohli's Ranji Trophy return draws massive crowd at Arun Jaitley Stadium, fans chant RCB
New Delhi: Virat Kohli's return to the Ranji Trophy after nearly 13 years has generated massive excitement among fans, with thousands gathering outside Arun Jaitley Stadium, chanting "RCB RCB" in support of the star batter. Kohli is playing for Delhi against Railways as part of his preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has allowed free entry for spectators, requiring only an Aadhaar card and a photocopy. Fans have been allocated the Gautam Gambhir Stand, accessible through Gate Nos. 16 and 17, while Gate No. 6 is reserved for DDCA members and guests.
DDCA secretary Ashok Kumar Sharma stated that around 10,000 fans are expected on the first day, with arrangements matching those of an international or IPL match.
Kohli, who last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2012 under Virender Sehwag's captaincy, is looking to regain form. Since 2020, he has scored 2,028 runs in 39 Test matches at an average of 30.72, with just three centuries. In the 2023–25 ICC World Test Championship cycle, he managed 751 runs in 14 matches at an average of 32.65.
