Zuckerberg vilifies fact-checkers at cost of democracy — Philippine fact-checking coalition

MANILA, Philippines – Imagine a world without fact-checkers. Philippine fact-checking coalition #FactsFirstPH believes this kind of world has moved closer to becoming a reality with the decision of Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg to end its fact-checking partnerships in the United States.

In a statement released four days after Zuckerberg announced the shift, the coalition criticized him for adding fuel to vilification campaigns against fact-checkers, which hurt not just US fact-checking initiatives but those in other countries.

“We are also disappointed in Mr. Zuckerberg’s false assertion that fact-checkers are politically biased and have fueled censorship. Fact-checkers were never given any ability to take down posts on Meta platforms. This power has always rested with Meta’s moderators,” read the statement released on Saturday, January 11.

“Without giving any evidence, he has lent his voice to a narrative that vilifies fact-checkers. This is a big setback to fact-checkers all over the world and to communities who support fact-checkers and rely on them for more accurate information,” the group added.

The #FactsFirstPH coalition is composed of over a hundred groups in the Philippines involved in journalism, education, media and information literacy, development work, research, and legal defense. An award-winning fact-checking collaboration founded in 2022 by Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, it showed how various sectors — from lawyers and environmental advocates to religious groups — can work together to promote facts online and defend those who tell it.

The coalition pointed out how disinformation has greatly affected at least two presidential elections in the Philippines: in 2016, which saw the rise of strongman Rodrigo Duterte; and 2022, where lies about the Marcos family and legacy of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos were used to bolster the candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Many Filipinos believed enough in the disinformation about the distribution of gold in the event of a Marcos electoral victory that they lined up outside the central bank to claim it.

While Zuckerberg has only announced an end to fact-checking partnerships in the US, fact-checking partners in different parts of the world face uncertainty in their dealings with Meta. Rappler, a #FactsFirstPH member, is among Meta’s third-party fact-checking partners.

Read the #FactsFirstPH statement in full below:

Leaving the online space a free-for-all for lies and disinformation is dangerous for humanity. Fact-checking initiatives need to be strengthened, not scrapped.

#FactsFirstPH, a coalition of over a hundred organizations in the Philippines engaged in promoting facts for an engaged and well-informed citizenry, decries the decision of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to end its fact-checking programs in the US.

We are also disappointed in Mr. Zuckerberg’s false assertion that fact-checkers are politically biased and have fueled censorship. Fact-checkers were never given any ability to take down posts on Meta platforms. This power has always rested with Meta’s moderators. Fact-checkers, instead, believe in the power of more information and more context to provide people on social media with tools to protect themselves against lies.

Without giving any evidence, he has lent his voice to a narrative that vilifies fact-checkers. This is a big setback to fact-checkers all over the world, and to communities who support fact-checkers and rely on them for more accurate information. 

In the Philippines, where 95% of adult internet users use Facebook, and where national elections will be held this year, fact-checking on social media has never been more critical. Studies have shown how online disinformation shaped the outcome of the 2016 and 2022 Philippine elections, with a majority of the falsehoods spread on Facebook.

Fact-checkers have become even more essential with the rise of AI-generated disinformation, including deepfakes that are already being used to manipulate Filipinos.

We urge Mr. Zuckerberg to rethink his policy reversal and, instead, engage with fact-checkers more actively to ensure the integrity of information on Meta platforms. 

We also urge all concerned citizens and social media users to help fact-checking initiatives, support fact-checking communities, and strengthen public service journalism.

With Meta’s US policy reversal, fact-checking initiatives all over the world covering Meta platforms face uncertainty. Our coalition hopes this development serves as a wake-up call on the need for more support for fact-checkers, journalists, and other groups working to promote facts online.

Other #FactsFirstPH members have released their organization’s own statements, including Rappler, Daily Guardian, Mindanao Gold Star Daily, Movement Against Disinformation, and Pitik Bulag. – Rappler.com