Wed Jan 08 13:36:25 UTC 2025: ## Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa Warns of ‘Extremely Dangerous Times’ After Meta Ends US Fact-Checking Program
**Manila, Philippines –** Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa has issued a stark warning about the future of journalism and democracy following Meta’s decision to end its U.S. fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram. Ressa, who has battled online disinformation and faced legal challenges for her critical reporting, described Meta’s move as ushering in “extremely dangerous times ahead.”
Ressa, co-founder of the news site Rappler, directly criticized Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, stating his claim that the decision was a matter of free speech was “completely wrong,” driven instead by profit and power. She argued that the termination of the program will allow “lies, anger, fear and hate” to proliferate on the platform, creating “a world without facts,” ideal for dictatorships.
The decision, announced on January 7th, is widely believed to be an attempt by Zuckerberg to appease incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, a vocal critic of Meta who has accused the company of bias. This move follows a pattern of actions by Trump that observers see as attempts to intimidate and censor the press.
Ressa, also a U.S. citizen, rejected Zuckerberg’s assertion that fact-checkers were overly biased, emphasizing the importance of journalistic ethics and standards. Rappler, a partner in Facebook’s fact-checking program, intends to continue its fight against disinformation.
Ressa’s concerns are amplified by her own experiences facing politically motivated charges in the Philippines under the Duterte administration, a situation she likened to the tactics employed by Trump. She vowed to continue her efforts to ensure information integrity, highlighting the crucial link between journalism and democracy. The coming year, she declared, is pivotal for the survival of journalism.
First Piper 