Fact-checkers fact-check Zuckerberg’s claims on Meta’s new policy

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies has written an open letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aiming to dispel Zuckerberg’s comment that “fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the US.”

Meta recently announced that it is doing away with the professional fact-checking in favour of X like ‘community notes’. Zuckerberg made an official announcement in this regard and explaining that the decision was taken because the censorship of people’s opinions had gone “too far”. The IFCN said that this move will undo the work of the past 10 years. The network wrote, “Fact-checkers strongly support freedom of expression, and… the freedom to say why something is not true is also free speech.”

Also read: No more fact-checking on Facebook – what does it mean for you?

The letter goes on to dispel the allegations of “biasness” on fact-checkers. It pointed out “Meta required all fact-checking partners to meet strict nonpartisanship standards through verification by the IFCN.” The letter added, “This meant no affiliations with political parties or candidates, no policy advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to objectivity and transparency.”

The IFCN pointed out that quite opposed to the recent allegations, Meta has “consistently praised” the work of these fact-checkers. An evidence of that is Meta’s decision to extend the fact-checking program to Threads last year. Zuckerberg himself, in his testimony to Congress, had boasted about Meta’s “industry-leading fact-checking program.”

The letter also unveiled that even though fact-checkers were highlighting the content that was false, but they never had the ability to remove the content, which in fact was always Meta’s discretion. “Meta staff decided on how content found to be false by fact-checkers should be downranked or labeled,” the IFCN’s letter said.

The letter also says that Meta had exempted the politicians and political candidates from fact-checking, as a “precautionary measure”, despite opposition by fact-checkers who insisted that politicians be treated like everyone else.

Also read: Meta abruptly ends US fact-checks ahead of Trump term

IFCN said that community notes cannot serve as a reliable replacement to professional fact-checking. Even so, there is no reason why community notes cannot co-exist with the third-party fact-checking program.

The timing of Meta’s decision makes it all the more difficult for Zuckerberg to justify that this move is anything but a concession to Donald Trumps’ threats. IFCN urges Meta and Zuckerberg to prioritise truth, especially in a world where misinformation can lead to devastating consequences, including political instability, violence and even genocide.