Editor-DN
Paris:
Internet giant Meta’s fact-checking program aims to combat misinformation on its social platforms – Facebook, Instagram and Threads – with the help of media organizations including AFP.
Here’s a guide to how it works, following Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg’s January 6 announcement that he’s shutting down the program in the United States.
Who checks the facts?
Since 2016, Meta has tasked journalists with assessing disinformation on its platforms under its “third-party fact-checking” program — which currently employs 80 media outlets.
In the United States, for example, Meta has 10 media partners for the program, including AFP, USA Today and expert fact-checking sites Lead Stories and PolitiFact.
Partners is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), founded in 2015 by the Poynter Institute, a US-based non-profit media training and advocacy group.
To be certified by IFCN, media organizations must meet its standards of editorial quality, impartiality and independence.
Zuckerberg said he would replace fact-checking with user-generated “community notices” used on rival platform X, formerly Twitter, owned by Elon Musk.
What do fact checkers do?
AFP publishes fact-checking articles in 26 languages, aimed at readers of posts published in those languages.
Articles explain why the claims are misleading and provide accurate information for readers.
To launch their articles, AFP’s 150 fact-checkers identify claims that are misleading, potentially dangerous and widely circulated across platforms.
They confirm facts, not opinions or beliefs.
They do this by collecting solid evidence that is transparently obtained and cross-checked.
They explain the steps of their investigation and publish web links to their sources where possible.
The media organization that produces the fact-check article publishes it on its website.
In the case of AFP fact-checks published in English, the site is factcheck.afp.com.
How does one use meta-fact checking?
To apply fact-checking to a claim circulating online, a media organization enters the web address of its article into the interface provided by Meta.
This interface links the article to a social media post containing false or misleading information.
This leads to misleading posts being less viewed on social platforms and ratings such as “False” or “Misleading” appearing alongside the post.
The post is not removed from the platform — instead, a link to a fact-checking article appears below the post, directing readers to verified information.
Users who shared the misleading post receive a notification that provides them with a link to a fact-checking article.
If the author of the post corrects it, the rating is removed and the restriction on how many users see the post is lifted.
When are fact-checking articles paid?
Metamedia pays organizations to publish articles linked to misleading posts.
Media organizations can write articles on any topic they choose — even misinformation that isn’t circulating on Meta’s platforms.
But Meta only pays them for articles that link to specific posts on its platforms.
Meta does not apply ratings or fact-checking to posts by political figures.
This does not prevent media organizations from publishing articles about such posts — as AFP regularly does. But they do not receive payment from Meta for these articles.
Fact checkers should not be confused with moderators of meta content.
Moderators remove posts that break the platform’s rules, for example posts that display pornography or racist content, or that incite terrorism or violence.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
