For weeks, Facebook has been questioned about its role in spreading fake news.

几个星期以来，Facebook一直因其在假新闻传播过程中扮演的角色而遭到质疑。

Now the company has mounted its most concerted effort to combat the problem.

目前，该公司正采取步调最为一致的行动来解决这一问题。

Facebook said Thursday it had begun a series of experiments to limit misinformation on its site.

Facebook周四表示，公司已经着手推进一系列试验性举措，旨在遏制其网站上虚假信息的传播。

The tests include making it easier for its 1.8 billion members to report fake news, and creating partnerships¹ with outside fact-checking organizations to help it indicate when articles are false.

这些试验包括：让其18亿名用户可以更加容易地举报假新闻，并与外部事实核查机构建立合作关系，以便及时就内容虚假的文章做出提示。

The company is also changing some advertising² practices to stop purveyors of fake news from profiting from it.

此外，该公司正在改变某些广告业务惯例，为的是防止假新闻供应者从中获利。

Facebook is in a tricky³ position with these tests.

开展这些试验的Facebook处境颇为尴尬。

It has regarded itself as a neutral place where people can freely post, read and view content.

它一直将其网站视作一个中立的地方，人们可以在上面自由地发布、阅读和观看内容。

But as its reach and influence have grown, it has had to confront questions about its moral obligations and ethical⁴ standards regarding what appears on the network.

但随着它的传播范围和影响力与日俱增，它不得不面对与出现在其网站的信息有关的道德义务和伦理标准问题。

Its experiments on curtailing⁵ fake news show that Facebook recognizes it has a deepening responsibility for what is on its site.

Facebook开展的这些旨在遏制假新闻传播的试验表明，它意识到自己对出现在自家网站上的内容负有深切的责任。

But Facebook is wary⁶ of exposing itself to claims of censorship.

但Facebook颇为谨慎地避免宣称这是在进行审查。

We really value giving people a voice, but we also believe we need to take responsibility for the spread of fake news on our platform, said Adam Mosseri,

我们非常珍视的是，给人以发声渠道，但我们也认为，我们需要对假新闻在自家平台上的传播负起责任，Facebook负责信息流业务的副总裁亚当•莫塞里(Adam Mosseri)表示。

a Facebook vice⁷ president who is in charge of its News Feed, the company’s method of distributing information to its global audience.

该公司通过这项业务向全球受众推送信息。

Fake news is not confined to Facebook,

假新闻不只存在于Facebook上。

with a vast ecosystem⁸ of false news creators who thrive on online advertising and who can use other social media and search engines to propagate their work.

假新闻制造者已经形成了一个巨大的生态系统，他们靠在线广告发展壮大，可以利用其它社交媒体和搜索引擎推广他们的作品。

Google, Twitter and message boards like 4chan and Reddit have all been criticized for being part of that chain.

谷歌(Google)、Twitter以及4chan、Reddit等论坛都是这个链条上的一员，也都因此受到了批评。

Still, Facebook has taken the most heat over fake news.

不过，Facebook承受了假新闻问题所引发的大部分愤怒。

The company has been under that spotlight⁹ since Donald Trump¹⁰ was elected president.

自从唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)当选总统以来，该公司一直处于聚光灯下。

Trump’s victory led people to focus on whether Facebook had influenced the electorate¹¹, especially with the rise of hyperpartisan sites on the network and many examples of misinformation.

特朗普的胜利导致人们聚焦于Facebook 是否曾影响选民，尤其是利用其网站上出现的一批党派色彩极强的专页以及许多虚假信息来施加影响。

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has said he did not believe the social network had influenced the election result.

Facebook的首席执行官马克•扎克伯格(Mark Zuckerberg)表示，他并不认为Facebook影响了大选结果。