Menlo Park, January 9: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he will end fact-checking for Facebook and Instagram platforms. The decision reportedly affected fact-checking journalists in the United States, who began facing cuts in their organisations. Since 2016, the Zuckerberg-owned social media giant has provided over USD 100 million for outside organisations to conduct fact-checks on its platforms. These outside organisations were certified by the IFCN (International Fact-Checking Network).

Organisations doing fact-checks on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook gave ratings to the posts; if they were false, their reach would be reduced. These outside media firms also included some of the biggest names in the news industry, such as Reuters and USA Today, along with fact-checking websites like FaceCheck.org. Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program: Australian PM Anthony Albanese Reiterates Social Media Responsibility After Facebook Abandons Fact-Checking.

According to a report by The Guardian, Meta listed 10 such partners for fact-checking in the US. Following Mark Zuckerberg's decision to end fact-checking, many of the partner organisations said that they were taking a "financial hit" and would prefer leading with fewer employees, confirming the layoffs. 

Meta's fact-checking partner, Lead Stories, also confirmed that it would reduce some of its staff. Lead Stories co-founder Alan Duke said in an email that the company would witness a drop in revenue due to losing its contract with Meta. However, the company's 80 employees work for TIkTok's parent company, ByteDance. 

Check Your Fact's managing editor, Jesse Stiller, said the team was shocked by Meta's decision and also stated, "We are uncertain for the future." PolitiFact, AFP (Agence France-Presse), and many other fact-checking organisations that were partners with Mark Zuckerberg's company said they took a hard hit and would resort to layoffs to cut costs amid a potential drop in revenue in the future. Meta Tries Letting Facebook Marketplace Users View EBay Listings as Way to Resolve European Union Charges.

Meta's partnership with these organisations for fact-checking would likely end, and they might struggle to get additional funding for their operations. Meta announced in 2022 that it had built "the largest global fact-checking network of any platform" and contributed over USD 100 million for these partners, along with USD 1 million in emergency grants. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 09, 2025 04:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).