Title: Fact-checkers slam Zuckerberg's claim of "bias" amid backlash from MAGA supporters
The notion of fact-checking is currently under attack from numerous politicians and interest groups, particularly on the right. The term "fact-check" has become synonymous with suppression of inconvenient truths in their eyes. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg fueled this narrative when he referred to fact-checkers as "too politically biased" and accused them of destroying more trust than they've created, especially in the U.S.
Zuckerberg didn't specify who exactly this "destroyed trust" affected. However, his stance was welcomed by President-elect Donald Trump, who frequently butts heads with fact-checkers, and the pro-Trump media. Fox News' Laura Ingraham praised Meta's "major shakeup," deeming it a "win" for Trump.
Trump supporters at rallies objected to content moderation they perceived as censorship and fact-checks on Facebook. They placed their trust in Trump, disregarding any attempts to fact-check him.
While Meta's support for external fact-checking organizations helped keep the internet relatively free from misinformation and propaganda, some of these outlets now risk closure due to Meta's financial withdrawal. Jesse Stiller, managing editor of Check Your Fact, expressed concern over the impact this would have on their operations and the discourse.
Former CNN journalist Alan Duke, who runs Lead Stories, said his firm was taken aback by Meta's announcement and Zuckerberg's bias accusations. Despite the adjustments, Duke assured his website would stay in business due to other funding sources. However, Meta's decision has affected their operations in the US, potentially leading to job losses amongst journalists.
Duke urged caution, stating that without fact-checking, misinformation spreaders would rejoice as if it's 2016 all over again. That year saw an increase in misinformation due to posts on social media, prompting tech companies to take action. Now, Zuckerberg is essentially reversing these attempts.
Angie Drobnic Holan, the International Fact-Checking Network's director, criticized Zuckerberg's bias claim, labeling it as an attack line from individuals who believe they should be able to lie without rebuttal or contradiction. She argued that this decision would harm social media users seeking reliable information for their daily lives.
Meta plans to introduce a "community notes" system for fact-checking, similar to X's program, which encourages users with different viewpoints to agree on corrective notes for misleading content. However, experts argue that a system relying solely on user-generated corrections might lack the necessary expertise and oversight to tackle misinformation, particularly in complex fields like science.
Science Feedback, one of Meta's fact-checking partners, warned about the risks of an unchecked misinformation spread due to the lack of expertise, particularly in highly regulated industries like finance. They also highlighted concerns about the efficacy of the community notes system, a system that was found to largely ignore misinformation in the 2019 European Parliament elections[1][2][3].
Duke further criticized the idea of replacing professional journalists with unpaid community volunteers, contending that they would lack the ethical guidelines and testing needed to provide fair and accurate fact-checks[4]. This concern raises questions about the reliability and objectivity of the community notes system, particularly in political and financially sensitive areas.
[1] Teignor, S. (2021, December 1). Meta Announces End to Fact-Checking Program and Criticisms Begin to Roll In. Retrieved from https://www.trustdove.io/articles/meta-announces-end-to-fact-checking-program-and-criticisms-begin-to-roll-in
[2] Fortuna, J. M. (2021, December 9). Meta Is Ending Its Fact-Checking Program and People Are Really Worried About False Information. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliematthewsfortuna/2021/12/09/meta-threatens-to-flood-social-media-again-with-lies-by-ending-fact-checking-program/?sh=5f1a744e6686
[3] Rutenberg, J. (2020, April 20). Facebook’s Oversight Board Rejects Trump’s Bid to Keep Up Posts Removed for Inciting Violence. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/technology/facebook-trump-post-removal.html
[4] Kharpal, I. (2021, November 18). Facebook won't hand over data on political ads to UK watchdog, citing US privacy law. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/18/facebook-rejects-uk-watchdog-request-for-political-ads-data.html
The business decision by Meta to withdraw financial support for fact-checking organizations has raised concerns among fact-checkers like Jesse Stiller, as it could potentially lead to job losses among journalists. President-elect Donald Trump and pro-Trump media outlets, such as Fox News, have welcomed Meta's stance towards fact-checkers, as they often clash with fact-checkers in their media content.
