- Meta's fact-checking partners were "blindsided" by the company's decision to abandon third-party fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in favor of a Community Notes model.
- The news was announced abruptly, with no advance notice given to the fact-checking partners.
- The decision will have significant financial implications for some fact-checking organizations, with one editor saying it will "eventually drain us out."
- Meta's partners were angered by CEO Mark Zuckerberg's allegation that fact-checkers had become too politically biased, which they claim is inaccurate.
- Fact-checkers argue that they simply added information and context to posts, leaving the final decision on content takedowns to Meta.
- Experts are skeptical that Meta's new Community Notes model can succeed without relying on the expertise of fact-checking organizations.
- The decision to abandon third-party fact-checking is seen by some as an effort by Meta to appease the incoming Trump administration.
- Meta's recent moves, including appointing UFC CEO Dana White to its board, are viewed as attempts to build closer ties with the Trump camp.
- The International Fact-Checking Network director Angie Drobnic Holan criticized the "extreme political pressure" behind Meta's decision.
- The loss of this funding source will impact the fact-checking ecosystem globally, according to Alexios Mantzarlis, who helped establish the initial partnerships between fact-checkers and Facebook.
Meta’s Fact-Checking Partners Say They Were ‘Blindsided’ by Decision to Axe Them | WIRED
Source:
www.wired.com