How to find better search results as AI summaries take over and Google ends ClaimReview fact-checking program
By Alexa Volland
Google recently announced the company is phasing out ClaimReview, which highlights verified fact checks when internet users search for claims that have already been debunked by journalists.
The change means it could get harder to find credible information online, even while unreliable AI-generated summaries become more popular. But there are steps internet users can take to find trustworthy sources.
@newslitproject Google recently announced it’s phasing out ClaimReview, which highlighted verified fact checks when users search claims that have already been debunked. As a result, reliable information might become harder to spot, and fact checks could appear beneath misleading or entirely false AI Overviews. Here are some tips to search smarter. 🔍 Avoid asking questions in your searches, and use keywords instead. Searches with “how” and “why” are more likely to get an AI summary. 🔍 Use the minus sign before terms you know you don’t need to help focus your results. 🛑 Practice “click restraint.” The best result might not be the first result. Scroll and look for trusted sources. #ClaimReview #AIOverview #FactCheck #NewsLiteracy #GoogleSearch ♬ original sound – News Literacy Project
What is ClaimReview?
ClaimReview has been around for about a decade. It is a behind-the-scenes tagging system used to tell search engines an article is a verified fact check. Essentially, journalists add a bit of code to their story, and that helps prioritize fact checks among search results. The results would include additional context about the claim, like who said it, and whether fact-checkers determined it was true or false.
The program is open source, meaning it could continue to be used by any search engine, or even in the development of chatbots or other AI tools. But Google announced in a blog post earlier this month that, for its part, the search behemoth will stop using ClaimReview.
Why does it matter that ClaimReview is ending?
With Google retreating from the program, it could mean that verified information gets buried underneath an AI overview. These AI-driven summaries have problems with repeating false claims or making things up entirely.
And when AI overviews do show up, a recent report by the Pew Research Center found that users “very rarely” check the sources cited, and they are less likely to look into the topic further.
What can I do to find reliable sources online?
One way to produce better search results: Use keywords, not questions. Questions are more likely to trigger an AI summary, the Pew research found.
Another tip is to use the minus sign before any terms you want excluded from results. People are also using this to exclude AI summaries. For example: news literacy -ai. It’s not foolproof so you still might get AI-generated results.
Maybe the most powerful thing you can do: Click restraint. Don’t settle for the first result you see. Take some time. Scroll. Look for reputable news sources you recognize.
Reliable information is still out there. To find it, just slow down, check your sources and search smarter.
