Crowdsourced Fact-Checking
The Community Notes program allows users to fact-check each other, shifting the responsibility of determining truth from tech companies to the community.
1TED Talks Daily
How Community Notes Reduce Viral Misinformation
Creators Keith Coleman and Jay Baxter discuss the crowdsourced system that lets users fact-check each other to combat viral misinformation.
Community Notes on X reduces viral misinformation by using a crowdsourced system where users fact-check each other, rather than relying solely on tech companies to decide what is true.
1Listen to the source episode
How Community Notes reduce viral misinformation | Keith Coleman, Jay Baxter
Continue in GenPod
Turn this episode into your next question.
Ask naturally. GenPod can find a related episode—or make a focused explainer when the right one does not exist.Key takeaways
What to know before you press play.
Cross-Political Trust
The system has earned trust from people across the political spectrum, helping to reduce viral misinformation through broad consensus.
2Surprising Agreement Algorithm
The 'surprising agreement' algorithm helps reveal common ground that exists across a polarized internet, facilitating trust in the notes.
3Ask GenPod next
Keep the question moving.
“How does the 'surprising agreement' algorithm work in practice?”
“What challenges did the creators face in building trust across political divides?”
“How does Community Notes compare to traditional editorial fact-checking?”
Questions
Questions to carry into the episode.
How does the Community Notes system determine what is true?
It relies on a crowdsourced system where users fact-check each other, rather than having tech companies decide.
1Why do people trust the Community Notes program?
The program has built trust across the political spectrum by using a 'surprising agreement' algorithm that reveals common ground.
23What is the 'surprising agreement' algorithm?
It is a mechanism that reveals common ground that quietly exists across a polarized internet, helping to validate notes.
3Experts
Voices named in the source.
Sources and disclosure
Where this guide comes from.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Publisher show notes
Community Notes on X started with a wild idea: Instead of tech companies deciding what's true, what if you let people fact-check each other?
- Publisher show notes
Jay Baxter and Keith Coleman, who helped build the crowdsourced system adding context to misleading posts, discuss how the program reduces viral misinformation — and why people across the political spectrum trust it.
- Publisher show notes
In conversation with TED guest curator Audrey Tang, they discuss how their "surprising agreement" algorithm could reveal the common ground that quietly exists across a polarized internet. (Followed by a note from TED guest curators Divya Siddarth and Audrey Tang)
- Publisher show notes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Related listening guides