Given the rise of (real) fake news, a bunch of self-proclaimed media watchdogs and ratings organizations have emerged to try and help people decide what is credible information, and what is not.
While we’ve had no trouble getting through most of those filters, we were red-listed by one, NewsGuard. The decision was ludicrous, so much so that the industry publication Nieman Journalism Lab directly criticized it (while Fox News was considered A-OK).
After some back and forth with NewsGuard, their argument basically boiled down to “your staff-written content is reviewed by editors, while your community content is not.” I vigorously argued about the value of community written content, about how self-regulating it is, and while admitting that yes, sometimes erroneous information got through, it wasn’t on any level higher than the outright bullshit spewed by green-lighted outfits like the Daily Caller and Fox News.
Alas, their anti-citizen journalism bias was unshakable.
NewsGuard’s ratings have a real potential impact on our ability to fulfill our mission—from being found on search engines, being seen in libraries, to landing advertisers and sponsors. As such, in an effort to appease their concerns, we are adding two disclaimers.
The first is next to the “community” designation on the byline, and reads ("This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff)”. This is meant to appease concerns that visitors from outside have no idea what the “community” designation means.
The second is a footer at the bottom of the diary, “This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. Make your voice heard! Click here to write or comment on Daily Kos.” I like that one, because it tells readers that they too can write at Daily Kos. It’s amazing how little-known that is. Daily Kos is not the easiest site for outsiders to grasp, so that little note will hopefully encourage others to write as well.
I hope this explains why we made those additions, even if we made them grudgingly. I don’t like anyone casting aspersions on this amazing community.