Microsoft's web browser now warns users about untrustworthy news: Here's how your favorite publications stack up

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Microsoft's web browser now warns users about untrustworthy news: Here's how your favorite publications stack up

NewsGuard (arrows)

NewsGuard/Google/Business Insider

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  • Microsoft's new version of its popular web browser now warns users about potentially untrustworthy news sources.
  • The service it uses is called NewsGuard - a third-party application that's run by journalists (including a Business Insider board member) who evaluate publications and rate them on a variety of factors.
  • Publications like The Washington Post and Fox News are considered trustworthy, while warnings are issued for Breitbart, DailyKOS, The Daily Mail, and more.


Ever clicked on a news story only to discover that it's from some publication you've never heard of? How did you determine if it was a trustworthy news source?

That problem is more prevalent than ever nowadays, as tens of millions of people get their news primarily from places like Facebook and Twitter. Microsoft is aiming to tackle the problem with a major addition to its web browser: A built-in tool called NewsGuard that warns users before they click on a potentially untrustworthy news source.

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The idea is simple: Users are able to see a "Nutritional Label," similar to those seen on food products, that explains why the publication has been deemed trustworthy or not.

The Daily Mail / NewsGuard

The Daily Mail/NewsGuard

The British tabloid Daily Mail is flagged as problematic due to credibility and transparency issues, according to NewsGuard.

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The tool is rolling out to mobile users of Microsoft's Edge browser now, but is expected to head to other platforms in the future.

NewsGuard is also available as an extension for Chrome, Google's ubiquitous internet browser, and we used it to check the ratings of a variety of publications:

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1. The New York Times: Trustworthy!

1. The New York Times: Trustworthy!

2. Fox News: Trustworthy with some caveats.

2. Fox News: Trustworthy with some caveats.
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3. The Washington Post: Trustworthy!

3. The Washington Post: Trustworthy!

4. The Guardian: Trustworthy!

4. The Guardian: Trustworthy!
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5. The Wall Street Journal: Trustworthy!

5. The Wall Street Journal: Trustworthy!

6. National Review: Trustworthy!

6. National Review: Trustworthy!
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7. The NY Post: Trustworthy, with caveats.

7. The NY Post: Trustworthy, with caveats.

8. The Daily News: Trustworthy, with caveats.

8. The Daily News: Trustworthy, with caveats.
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9. The Federalist: Trustworthy, with caveats.

9. The Federalist: Trustworthy, with caveats.

10. The Economist: Trustworthy!

10. The Economist: Trustworthy!
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11. Breitbart: Not trustworthy.

11. Breitbart: Not trustworthy.

12. The Daily Kos: Not trustworthy.

12. The Daily Kos: Not trustworthy.
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13. Russia Today (RT): Not trustworthy.

13. Russia Today (RT): Not trustworthy.

14. The Times of Israel: Trustworthy!

14. The Times of Israel: Trustworthy!
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15. Business Insider: Trustworthy!

15. Business Insider: Trustworthy!

16. The Huffington Post: Trustworthy!

16. The Huffington Post: Trustworthy!
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17. Al Jazeera: Not trustworthy.

17. Al Jazeera: Not trustworthy.

18. Bloomberg: Trustworthy, with caveats.

18. Bloomberg: Trustworthy, with caveats.
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19. BuzzFeed News: Trustworthy!

19. BuzzFeed News: Trustworthy!

20. MSNBC: Trustworthy!

20. MSNBC: Trustworthy!
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21: The Associated Press (AP): Trustworthy!

21: The Associated Press (AP): Trustworthy!

22. The Daily Beast: Trustworthy!

22. The Daily Beast: Trustworthy!
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23. TMZ: Trustworthy, with caveats.

23. TMZ: Trustworthy, with caveats.

24. Splinter: Trustworthy, with caveats.

24. Splinter: Trustworthy, with caveats.
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25. Vice News: Trustworthy!

25. Vice News: Trustworthy!

26. Forbes: Trustworthy, with caveats.

26. Forbes: Trustworthy, with caveats.
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27. The Los Angeles Times: Trustworthy!

27. The Los Angeles Times: Trustworthy!

28. Time Magazine: Trustworthy, with caveats.

28. Time Magazine: Trustworthy, with caveats.
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29. BBC: Trustworthy, with caveats.

29. BBC: Trustworthy, with caveats.