Fri Jan 10 18:25:19 UTC 2025: ## Meta’s Fact-Checking Program Faces US Halt, but Global Network Remains

**New York, NY** – Meta’s global fact-checking program, which utilizes 80 news organizations worldwide to combat misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, is facing a significant shift. While the program continues internationally, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on January 6th the discontinuation of the US component, replacing it with a user-generated community notes system similar to that used on X (formerly Twitter).

The program, active since 2016, relies on International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)-certified partners, including AFP, USA Today, Lead Stories, and PolitiFact in the US. These organizations adhere to strict standards of editorial quality, neutrality, and independence.

Fact-checkers, like those at AFP, identify misleading and potentially harmful claims circulating on Meta’s platforms, verifying information through rigorous research and transparently sourced evidence. They publish articles explaining inaccuracies and providing corrected information, which are then linked to the misleading posts on Meta’s platforms. This reduces the visibility of the false posts and notifies users who have shared them. The posts themselves are not removed, unless they violate other platform rules.

Meta financially compensates participating organizations for articles linked to misleading posts on its platforms; however, it does not pay for fact-checks of political figures, although organizations are free to produce them independently. It is crucial to distinguish fact-checkers from Meta’s content moderators, who remove posts violating platform rules such as those containing hate speech or inciting violence.

The shift in the US marks a significant change in Meta’s approach to misinformation. The long-term impact of replacing third-party fact-checking with community notes remains to be seen. However, Meta’s global fact-checking network, powered by independent journalism, will continue its efforts to combat misinformation on its platforms outside the United States.

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