By: Cole Praise and Lademi Aborisade
Meta’s Third Party Fact-checking Program has been credited as the global funder for Fact-checking organisations.
This was contained in the 2022 State of the Fact-checkers report by the International Fact-checking Network (IFCN).
The report, which reflected an upward shift in the budget of fact-checking organisations worldwide, revealed that Meta’s third-party fact-checking program retains its position in 2021 as the highest funder.
According to the 2022 report, Meta’s Third Party Fact-Checking program remains ahead of other funding sources for fact-checking platforms worldwide. It has so far not been overtaken because the program turns over 45.2% of its total income towards financing fact-checking organisations.
“Meta’s Third Party Fact-Checking program is still the leading funding source for fact-checking organisations, contributing 45.2% of their total income,” the report reads.
Meta’s funding is informed about how misinformation is a recurring problem and its interest in partnering with independent fact-checking platforms to mitigate its spread on social media. Meta, through original reporting, depends on fact-checkers to review the authenticity of stories posted on its social media app.
The program has created the largest global fact-checking network and contributed over $100 million to programs that facilitate its fact-checking interests. In 2020, Meta partnered with fact-checking platforms to tackle COVID-19 mis- and disinformation peddled during the period. Together with IFCN, it floated a $1 million emergency grant program to that cause.
Meta’s report on its investment in Fact-checking revealed it launched a health fellowship program with ten fact-checking organisations that will allow them to expand and combat health misinformation. The organisations operate in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
In addition to combating health information, Meta partnered with global technology nonprofit Digital Health Lab at Meedan to fight online misinformation. In collaboration with the firm, several virtual training sessions were held between its medical staff and Meta’s third-party fact-checking partners.
Other IFCN-partnership programs that Meta has funded include Climate Misinformation Grant, Global Fact-checking Mentorship Program, and Fact-Checking Innovation Initiative.
Meta also funded a year-long fact-checking fellowship with the National Association of Black Journalists, creating an avenue for fact-checking platforms to hire potential journalists.
It also floated an Accelerator Challenge program that pooled various fact-checking organisations to share ideas and create new strategies to enable people to access the right information.
During election periods, Meta, formerly Facebook, has always thrown its weight behind fact-checking organisations worldwide to propagate truth and debunk false information.
