This is precisely why tech companies should not the the arbiters of news. Progressive or otherwise. We should not outsource our civic responsibilities to tech companies.
Fake news websites, misinformation and conspiracy theories are now mainstream, and democracy is failing. This is caused by big tech AIs focused on gaining engagement.
So it is right for me that, in theory, the same tech companies try to stop this big mess.
But personally and practically I don’t think this purpose is achievable without tossing the whole algorithms behind the engagement thing, and milder counter reactions like this will cause in long term only more drama and nothing useful....
Some countries actually have laws that prevent broadcasters from knowingly broadcasting false news. Canada is one. It is, however, a condition that is restricted to broadcasting licenses.
In the distant past when newspapers were locally owned and operated, those who owned printing presses lived in the communities that they worked in and published in. Globalization has removed that link. My theory is that losing that link has distorted the nature of publishing. It is now cheaper (more profitable) to publish false news than it is to publish well researched journalism. There is no local reputation to protect. Who needs to pay for fact checkers and editors to reach out to trusted sources to verify a story when the story itself isn't even true? Let's just throw whatever at the wall, and, hey, we can sell more ads if it blows up on social media!