{"id":2388592,"date":"2025-01-09T21:30:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T02:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-checkers-freak-out-call-emergency-meetings-after-zuckerberg-pulls-the-money\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T21:31:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T02:31:25","slug":"fact-checkers-freak-out-call-emergency-meetings-after-zuckerberg-pulls-the-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-checkers-freak-out-call-emergency-meetings-after-zuckerberg-pulls-the-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact-Checkers Freak Out, Call &#8216;Emergency&#8217; Meetings After Zuckerberg Pulls the Money"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffact-checkers-freak-out-call-emergency-meetings-after-zuckerberg-pulls-the-money%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2388592&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent announcement by Meta CEO Mark \u2064Zuckerberg regarding a shift toward prioritizing free speech on Meta&#8217;s platforms has led to an emergency meeting among\u2062 members of \u2063the \u200dInternational Fact-Checking \u2062Network (IFCN). This group, which consists of over 170\u2063 fact-checking organizations worldwide, previously played a significant role in verifying content \u2064on Meta&#8217;s platforms, including Facebook \u2063and Instagram. The \u2064meeting was convened in response to Zuckerberg&#8217;s criticism of fact-checkers, whom he deemed politically biased and detrimental to user trust, and his plans to replace \u200bthe conventional fact-checking system with \u200ba &#8220;community notes&#8221;\u2064 approach, similar to \u200cthat used\u2063 by the platform X (formerly known\u200c as\u200b Twitter). IFCN Director Angie Holan expressed\u200c disappointment over this advancement, asserting that the previous collaboration with \u200cMeta was aimed at \u2064enhancing the platforms&#8217; reliability, not censorship. She warned that these changes could threaten\u2062 the financial viability of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-fact-checkers-had-another-bad-week\/\" title=\"The Fact Checkers Had Another Bad Week\">fact-checking journalism<\/a>. \u200dThe shift raises questions about \u200dZuckerberg&#8217;s motives, which could \u2064range from a commitment to free speech to \u2063reactions against market competition or political pressures. The \u2063fact-checkers, feeling sidelined, are not pleased with this change.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A prominent group of fact-checkers called an emergency meeting after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-says-george-soros-hates-humanity-and-backs-policies-that-erode-the-fabric-of-civilization\/\" title=\"Elon Musk claims George Soros despises humanity and supports policies that undermine civilization.\">social media platforms controlled<\/a> by the company would move toward prioritizing free speech.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the International Fact-Checking Network, a group of more than 170 organizations across the planet, previously had a major role in fact-checking content on Meta platforms such as and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>The emergency meeting came in direct response to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/zuckerberg-drops-fact-checking-says-process-eroded-trust-nyt-blames-fake-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new announcement<\/a>, IFCN Director Angie Holan said in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/metas-fact-checking-exit-prompts-urgent-ifcn-meeting-2025-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview<\/a> with Business Insider.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We hold these meetings monthly, but we called this one specifically because of today&rsquo;s news,&rdquo; she confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>Holan revealed that the IFCN member organizations are annoyed at the change announced by Zuckerberg.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This program has been a major part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">global fact-checking community&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s work for years,&rdquo; she complained.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People are upset because they saw themselves as partners in good standing with Meta, doing important work to make the platform more accurate and reliable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Zuckerberg apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mark-zuckerberg-axes-politically-biased-fact-check-system-announces-massive-free-speech-moves-facebook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">did not see<\/a> the fact-checkers in quite the same way.<\/p>\n<p>In his Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1525382954801931\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>, the executive called fact-checkers too &ldquo;politically biased&rdquo; and said that they &ldquo;destroyed more trust than they created.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of relying on fact-checkers, Meta will implement a &ldquo;community notes&rdquo; system similar to those implemented on social media platform X after Elon Musk bought the company formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than zealously policing user content, Zuckerberg said that Meta would emphasize &ldquo;illegal and high-severity violations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Holan admitted in the interview with Business Insider that the activity of the fact-checkers indeed limited the reach of certain posts that they deemed to be misinformation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was never about censorship but about adding context to prevent false claims from going viral,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>In perhaps the most revealing comment in the interview, Holan added that &ldquo;this is bad news for the financial sustainability of fact-checking journalism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>These fact-checkers had a solid arrangement for quite a while.<\/p>\n<p>They received handsome payments from a massive Silicon Valley technology conglomerate to comb through content and censor anything inconsistent with their ideology.<\/p>\n<p>But now the racket has come to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Time will tell whether Zuckerberg has an actual commitment to free speech. He could have experienced a political awakening, he could be responding to market pressures produced by the less-censored X, or perhaps he is trying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/facebook-going-full-maga-dana-white-joins-meta-board-directors-zuckerberg-promises-free-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not to be on the bad side<\/a> of President-elect Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, the fact-checkers are on his bad side, and that is welcome news.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A leading coalition of fact-checkers convened an urgent meeting following Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg&#8217;s announcement on Tuesday regarding a shift towards prioritizing free speech on the company&#8217;s social media platforms. The International Fact-Checking Network, comprising over 170 global organizations, has played a significant role in verifying content on Meta&#8217;s platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This emergency gathering was specifically called in response to Zuckerberg&#8217;s statement, as confirmed by IFCN Director Angie Holan in an interview with Business Insider. She noted that the member organizations are frustrated with the changes announced by Zuckerberg. Holan expressed that this program has been integral to the global fact-checking community for years and that members felt they were valuable partners with Meta in enhancing platform accuracy and reliability. In contrast, Zuckerberg described fact-checkers as &#8220;politically biased&#8221; and claimed they eroded more trust than they built. Instead of relying on these fact-checkers, Meta plans to introduce a &#8220;community notes&#8221; system akin to one used by X (formerly Twitter) after Elon Musk&#8217;s acquisition of the platform. Zuckerberg stated that Meta would focus more on addressing &#8220;illegal and high-severity violations&#8221; rather than closely monitoring user content. Holan acknowledged that fact-checkers had indeed restricted the reach of posts identified as misinformation but emphasized their role was about providing context rather than censorship to prevent false claims from spreading widely. She also remarked that this development poses challenges for the financial viability of fact-checking journalism moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>For some time, these fact-checkers enjoyed a lucrative arrangement with a major tech company to review content and remove anything misaligned with their views; however, this situation appears to be changing now. It remains uncertain whether Zuckerberg is genuinely committed to free speech or if he is reacting to market dynamics influenced by less-censored platforms like X or trying not to alienate President-elect Donald Trump. Regardless, it seems he is no longer aligned with the interests of fact-checkers\u2014a shift many may welcome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2388593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Mark-Zuckerberg-fires-fact-checkers.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7380,9737,48238,39173,4576],"class_list":["post-2388592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-misinformation","tag-fact-checkers","tag-emergency-meetings","tag-funding-cuts","tag-zuckerberg"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Mark-Zuckerberg-fires-fact-checkers.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2388592"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2388596,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388592\/revisions\/2388596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2388593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2388592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2388592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2388592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}