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IFCN Director reacts to Meta’s discontinuation of third-party fact-checking in the US

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The Director of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), Angie Holan,  has reacted to Meta’s decision to halt its fact-checking collaboration programme.

Prior to the discontinuation of the partnership, which sparked criticism in the media, fact-checking organisations were funded by Meta to play a third-party role in verifying media content shared across its social media platforms. The initiative made it easy for Meta to flag disinformation, misinformation and fake news content. 

Meta, the parent company of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, said it would adjust its content review policies on its partnership with fact-checking outlets and replace them with user-generated content. 

In a video explaining the rationale behind the decision, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Meta, accused fact-checkers of being politically biased and said they have destroyed more trust than they have created. 

“What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far,” he said. 

Reacting, Holan said that Meta’s decision would break down the hearts of social media users who are looking for accurate, reliable information to make decisions about their everyday lives and interactions with friends and family. 

“Fact-checking journalism has never censored or removed posts; it’s added information and context to controversial claims, and it’s debunked hoax content and conspiracy theories,” she argued in a post on her X handle. 

“The fact-checkers used by Meta follow a Code of Principles requiring nonpartisanship and transparency. It’s unfortunate that this decision comes in the wake of extreme political pressure from a new administration and its supporters.” 

Holan added that fact-checkers have not been biased in their work and that Mr Zuckerberg’s attack line comes from those who feel they should be able to exaggerate and lie without rebuttal or contradiction.

The development has continued to attract reactions from the fact-checking world.

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