YouTube Is Making It Easier to Tell the Difference Between Real Doctors and Quacks

YouTube is whipping out another tool to hackle health misinformation on the platform.Photo: Chubo – my masterpiece (Shutterstock)In its latest effort to limit health misinformation, YouTube is trying to make it easier for users to identify and differentiate reliable, factual videos made by certified healthcare professionals from those made by wellness gurus and their ilk. Starting today, the platform will let doctors and nurses apply for verified provider labels and showcase their videos on special healthcare carousels in search results.The announcement was made on Thursday by YouTube’s global head of health Dr. Garth Graham, who pointed out in a blog post that this is the first time the platform will extend its health product features to individual healthcare providers. Previously, the features were available to organizations like universities and government agencies. YouTube has historically struggled to rein in medical misinformation, most recently during the pandemic, and has been criticized for dragging its feet on implementing fixes for the problem. An example of verified Health Sources on “content shelves” in YouTube search results.Gif: Courtesy of YouTubeAt the moment, only individuals in the U.S. and Germany will be able to apply to be YouTube Health Sources, although YouTube stated that the company…
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