YouTube to display Wikipedia blurbs alongside conspiracy videos

SAN FRANCISCO - YouTube will begin displaying text from Wikipedia articles and other websites alongside some videos in a couple of weeks as the unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google attempts to combat hoaxes and conspiracy theories on the service, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

Susan Wojcicki, speaking on stage at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas, displayed a mock-up of the new feature, which are called information cues.

YouTube intends to present an alternative viewpoint to videos questioning science or describing conspiracies about events such as the U.S. moon landing. She said information cues would first roll out to topics for which there are a significant number of YouTube videos.

“People can still watch the videos but then they actually have access to additional information, can click off and go and see that,” Wojcicki said.

Lawmakers and media advocacy groups have called on YouTube to help stop the spread of hoaxes and false news stories. Last year, the company adjusted its algorithms to promote what it described as authoritative sources.

Though music and gaming videos are far more popular on YouTube, the company has made addressing the criticism around news and science videos a top priority this year.

LATEST BUSINESS STORIES

Shizuoka Bank President Hisashi Shibata says he has lined up a network of local lenders that will invest in structured assets.

Negative rates see Japan's regional banks move into structured finance sector: The nation's regional banks have long been relegated to the sidelines in one of the most lucrative corners of the lending market while regular loans got gradually less profitable. Now some are f...

Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard attends a Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi joint news conference in Yokohama in March.

Fiat Chrysler proposes operational tie-up with Renault SA: In a deal that would create the world's third-biggest carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Monday proposed a merger with Renault SA. The transaction will be structured as a 50-50 owne...

Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda speaks Monday at a meeting in Tokyo of think tank analysts from the Group of 20 major economies.

At T20 summit in Tokyo, think tanks call for restoring faith in multilateralism: Political leaders must adhere to the principles of multilateralism despite swirls of anti-globalism and economic uncertainties, experts recommended at a forum in Tokyo ahead of next month's Group o...