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The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has condemned the United States’ recent move to tighten visa access to fact-checkers and content moderators, among others.
Recall that credible media organisations reported that the United States (US) instructed consular offices to enforce a stricter vetting policy against applicants for the H-1B visas. The memo, sent on Dec. 2, 2025, to all consular offices, targeted highly skilled workers, stating that anyone associated with free speech censorship will be liable for rejection.
In a statement signed by Angie Holan, the IFCN’s executive director on Dec. 9, 2025, the organisation condemned the development, while reiterating the integral part of fact-checking in public interest.
“Fact-checking is journalism. It is the straightforward work of comparing public claims against the best available evidence and publishing the results for all to see,” Angie said.
She further clarified that fact-checking strengthens public debate, rather than censors it.
Angie expressed concern over the US’s resolve to maintain its reputation as a global stronghold of press freedom.
“This work strengthens public debate, it does not censor it. It is protected within the United States by the First Amendment, and the U.S. has long supported similar press freedoms internationally. To conflate this work with censorship is to misunderstand what fact-checkers do, or to deliberately misrepresent it.”
The IFCN expressed worries over the announcement’s implications, revealing that it threatens trust and the safety of professionals saddled with the responsibility to protect children from exploitation, prevent fraud and scams, and combat coordinated harassment. Such work ensures that the internet is safer for everyone, and content moderation by tech companies and fact-checking organisations only promotes freedom of expression.
This latest policy marks another show of antagonism led by the Trump administration against fact-checķers and content moderators.
IFCN, a global fact-checking network, comprises more than 170 organisations in over 80 nonpartisan countries that use transparent sources and make corrections when errors are identified.
“Our signatories do not remove content from the internet. They add information to the public record,” the statement contained.
It argued that an unrestricted press and an informed public are building blocks for democracy. However, when governmental policies that reject actionable plans for truth are implemented, it prompts journalists and the world at large to begin raising questions.
IFCN, launched in 2015 at the Poynter Institute, was established to unite the growing community of fact-checkers worldwide and advocates for factual information in the global campaign against misinformation. It supports its network through collaboration, capacity building, and advocacy, and promotes the excellence of fact-checking among all verified signatories to its Code of Principles.
