Why did Mark Zuckerberg end Facebook and Instagram’s factchecking program?

The social media giant enters a more partisan political era as its CEO pursues Donald Trump’s approval

Meta is shifting to the right, following the prevailing political winds blowing through the United States. A more partisan era now looms for the social media giant and its corporate leaders, though Mark Zuckerberg himself has few personal politics other than ambition.

On Tuesday morning, Meta disbanded Facebook and Instagram’s third-party factchecking program. The company will also recommend more political content across its social networks.

Topics

Meta Ends Fact-Checking on Facebook, Instagram in Free-Speech Pitch

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been building ties with the incoming Trump administration, said the move was an attempt to restore free expression on its platforms.
The Wall Street Journal - 21h
Mark Zuckerberg announces end of fact-checking program for Meta

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a video that its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, will no longer implement a fact-checking policy, instead relying on community notes similar to ...
NBC News - 1d
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How Mark Zuckerberg pivoted Meta to the right

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that he was ending professional fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram.
NBC News - 7h
Ditching of Facebook factcheckers a ‘major step back’ for public discourse, critics say

Mark Zuckerberg’s decision regarding Meta platforms condemned as ‘a full bending of the knee’ to Donald Trump. Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to ditch factcheckers on Facebook and “prioritise free ...
The Guardian - 21h
Facebook and Instagram get rid of fact checkers

Meta says its platforms will instead rely on "community notes" from its users, an approach pioneered by X.
BBC News - 23h
Meta ending fact-checking program: Zuckerberg

Social media giant Meta announced a series of changes to its content moderation policies Tuesday, including the elimination of its fact-checking program, in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg said was an ...
The Hill - 1d
Meta is killing off its own AI-powered Instagram and Facebook profiles

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The Guardian - 4d
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