August 10, 2022
We learned this month that we’re the first public library in Canada to partner with NewsGuard, a browser extension that works in Google Chrome. It’s been installed on each of our public computers and assists our patrons and visitors searching for information by adding a ratings criteria to their search results.
Why is this important? In an era of mis- and disinformation, this software gives users confidence and helps to improve digital literacy by informing about the quality of the source. The NewsGuard add-on works by placing a small badge shaped like a shield adjacent to your Google search results. There is a ‘nutrition label’ list that helps you understand what each badge represents. So if you find an article from the New York Times, for example, you can expect a green checkmark in a shield letting you know this is a trustworthy source. If you encounter an article from The Onion or The Beaverton, you’ll see an orange smiley face inside the shield so you’ll be reminded these are satire sites.
The information landscape is always changing and at the library we recognize that it takes ongoing work to critically evaluate news and things you may read on social media. While you can always double check by asking a library worker to help verify the quality of a source, it’s good to develop your critical thinking skills and become a savvy digital citizen by aiming not to spread misinformation. Mistaking misinformation for something that sounds too good to be true can lead many to becoming a victim of online scams. And, recently, these scams have become much more sophisticated. These days, it’s no longer just a certain Nigerian prince who may reach out to your personal email address with a great offer…
Interestingly, NewsGuard is also integrated into a variety of our social media channels at the library: Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit, for example. So if someone sends you an article about ‘cryptocurrency,’ you may hope it includes the green badge, especially if it comes from a news source you may not be familiar with. This might include MarketWatch, engadget, or the BBC, for example. If you hover over that green badge, you will receive additional information about the source. Not all green shield rated sites are necessarily rated equal! The engadget site scores an 85/100, as it “mostly adheres to basic standards of credibility and transparency.” Where it may lack is because they might not clearly or consistently label what is advertising on their site.
The partnership program we enjoy with NewsGuard is free for libraries, and anyone visiting us can use it and ask us questions about it. But if you try it here and see the value for yourself or your family, there is a cost for home use in the form of a small monthly subscription fee. So try it here first if you’d like!
We’re really glad to tell our patrons and visitors about this new online browsing feature and to be pioneers for helping to launch it in Canada. The Los Angeles Public Library and the public library system in Milan, Italy have also been trialing a NewsGuard partnership, too. We expect it will become more popular through word of mouth as libraries everywhere continue to find ways to help their communities identify and combat propaganda.
By Chris Stephenson, CEO