The Shutdown of Metas US Fact-Checking Program Is a Major Obstacle in the Fight Against Disinformation – World Issues
Jan 24 (IPS) –
CIVICUS talks to Olivia Sohr about the challenges of disinformation and the consequences of the shutdown of the Meta fact-checking program in the USA. Olivia is the Director of Impact and Innovation at Chequeado, an Argentine civil society organization working since 2010 to improve the quality of public debate by checking the facts, fighting lies, promoting access to information and open data.
What led to Meta’s decision to stop its fact-checking program?
While the exact details of the process that led to this decision are unknown, in his announcement Zuckerberg referred to a ‘cultural shift’ that he said was reinforced by the recent US election. He also expressed concern that the fact-checking program had contributed to what he saw as an environment of ‘excessive scrutiny’. Alternatively, Zuckerberg proposes a public rating system to identify fake content.
This decision sets back the integrity of information around the world. Worryingly, Meta justifies its position by equating fact-checking journalism with research. Fact-checking is not research; it’s a tool that provides data and context so people can make informed decisions in an environment filled with misinformation. Decisions like these increase the visibility and hinder the work of those who focus on fighting illegal information.
The role of fact-checkers in Meta is to investigate and label content that is found to be false or misleading. However, decisions regarding visibility or access to such content will be made solely by the platform, which has ensured that it will only limit exposure and add context, not remove or censor the content.
How the public grading system will work has yet to be determined, but the prospects are not promising. Experience from other platforms suggests that these models tend to increase misinformation and the spread of other malicious content.
What are the challenges of fact-checking journalism?
Fact checking is very challenging. While pushers can quickly create and spread completely false content designed to manipulate emotions, fact-checkers must follow a rigorous and transparent process that takes time. They must constantly adapt to new and evolving disinformation strategies and tactics, increasingly with the use of artificial intelligence.
Meta’s decision to suspend its US certification program makes our job even more difficult. One of the key benefits of this program is that it allows us to directly reach those who are spreading disinformation, alert them with verified information and stop the spread at the source. Losing this tool can be a major obstacle in the fight against information disrespect.
What are the possible consequences of this change?
Meta’s policy changes could further weaken the information ecosystem, making it easier for misinformation and other harmful content to reach a wider audience. For Chequeado, this means we will have to step up our efforts to combat disinformation, both within the platform and elsewhere.
In this situation, verification journalism is important, but it will be necessary to complement this work with media literacy programs, the promotion of critical thinking, the implementation of technical tools to simplify the work and research to identify patterns of disinformation and the vulnerability of various things. fake news teams.
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