Google to invest $300m to support publishers and combat fake news

Google is stepping up efforts to improve relations with news publishers with a $300m commitment that includes support for subscriptions and efforts to fight fake news. The launch of the Google News Initiative comes as Google and Facebook are facing criticism for their emergence as gatekeepers for information, their dominance of the digital advertising market and their role in the proliferation of false and misleading stories online in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election and Brexit vote. Google’s new project includes support for subscription models, promotion of “verified news sources” in search results and efforts to fight false and misleading information during elections and breaking news events.

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