Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Flood the zone FactCheck.org co-founder Kathleen Hall Jamieson sat down with
Publication: Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hello, I’m a Dandelion’
A Dutch Facebook user’s cheery gardening post blossomed into a long-form text meme on the platform, as English-speaking users shared a translation celebrating dandelions. Paula Kok – Den Boer first posted “Hello, I am a dandelion̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Signal Says Facebook Banned ‘Transparent’ Ads, Facebook Issues Denial
On May 4 2021, Signal app creator Moxie Marlinspike (Matthew Rosenfeld) tweeted about a series of Facebook ads purportedly banned by the platform — for reasons apparent upon seeing examples of the advertisements: Signal tried to use Instagram a
Poynter→ Factually: Fact-checkers advocate for an end to Facebook’s ban of fact-checking political figures
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. A check on power The Facebook Oversight Board’s decision to uphold former
Poynter→ Hey Facebook, why wait six months? Just ban Trump permanently now
Earlier this week, while appearing on his own network, CNN’s Jake Tapper said why even interview some guests if they are just going to lie? He’s right. If certain conservative lawmakers are going to perpetuate wild conspiracy theories, including th
Snopes→ Was Trump Banned for Life From Facebook?
The former President of the United States has been banned for life from Twitter, but Facebook?
Poynter→ Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld Trump’s ban. Fact-checkers are mixed on its impact
Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the platform’s permanent ban of former President Donald Trump’s account for now, but said that while Trump did create an “an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible,” it was unjust to keep h
Poynter→ Brazilian judge orders Aos Fatos to censor two fact checks
A judge in Brazil issued a preliminary ruling on Apr. 23 requiring fact-checking organization Aos Fatos to remove references to the magazine Revista Oeste in two of its fact checks as well as ratings of the magazine’s posts on Facebook. Revista Oeste
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaccine Disinformation Still Going Strong on Social Media: Report
Just twelve accounts are responsible for fully two-thirds of online disinformation about vaccines — but social media platforms still aren’t doing much about them. In a follow-up to a report tracking a majority of disinformation about vaccin
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a U.S. Army Sergeant Caught On Video Harassing a Black Youth?
A white sergeant in the U.S. Army was arrested on April 14 2021, days after video spread online of him berating a Black youth in a subdivision near Columbia, South Carolina. The local Post & Courier newspaper confirmed that 42-year-old Jonathan Pen
Snopes→ Facebook Users Can Appeal Harmful Content to Oversight Board
The board said it will accept cases from users who object to content posted by others and who have already exhausted Facebook's appeal process.
Poynter→ The coalition for factual information and informed public discourse is stronger than ever
In 2016, during the third Global Fact conference in Argentine capital Buenos Aires, the world’s fact-checkers decided to name April 2 as the International Fact-Checking Day to raise awareness of the importance of fact-checking, therefore providing th
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook’s Zuckerberg Falsely Tells Lawmakers ‘We Don’t Allow’ Disinformation in Ads
Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg misrepresented his company’s disinformation policy on advertising while testifying to federal lawmakers on March 25 2021. Zuckerberg made the false claim — which flies in the face of his comp
Poynter→ Factually: Tech CEOs (again) asked to explain themselves
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Tech CEOs are back in the hot seat As the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Goog
Snopes→ Report: Extremist Groups Thrive on Facebook Despite Bans
Facebook acknowledged that its policy enforcement “isn't perfect,” but said the report distorts its work against violent extremism and misinformation.
Poynter→ Facebook has an apparent double standard over COVID-19 misinformation in Brazil, researchers say
Researchers want Facebook’s Oversight Board to evaluate the platform’s exemption of politicians from fact-checking after new research from Brazillian fact-checking organization Agência Lupa pointed to 29 examples of President Jair Bolsonaro spread
Snopes→ Facebook Lifts Ban on US Political, Social Issue Ads
Facebook says it is lifting its ban on political and social-issue ads put in place after the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Life Insurance Policies Being Canceled Because of the COVID-19 Vaccine?
As an example of how disinformation can get laundered through Facebook, witness the attempt to spread a lie about the current vaccination efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. The claim originated with a post from a user based in England reading: Che
Poynter→ Today: snippets of code for Google News; tomorrow: academic research and maybe a Grandpa Alert
There’s a hidden bit of code that’s been quietly helping counter misinformation around the world. Few people know about it — but fact-checkers in 56 countries have now used this tagging system, known as ClaimReview, more than 100,000 times to hel
Poynter→ IFCN concerned about fact-checkers in Australia
The International Fact-Checking Network stands in solidarity with fact-checkers working in Australia. Facebook has withdrawn news content from the Australian News Feed due to the News Media Bargaining Code. As a consequence of this dispute, three fact-
Poynter→ Facebook’s fact-checking partners in Australia are blocked from posting on their own pages but can still assess content for the platform
It’s been two days since Australian fact-checkers have been able to publish their content on Facebook’s NewsFeed. Their URLs have been considered news content and are now blocked on the social media platform. While trying to find other ways
Poynter→ Facebook’s fact-checking partners in Australia are blocked from posting on their own pages but can still assess content for the platform
It’s been two days since Australian fact-checkers have been able to publish their content on Facebook’s NewsFeed. Their URLs have been considered news content and are now blocked on the social media platform. While trying to find other ways
Snopes→ Did Facebook Ban Its Own Page in Australia?
In a sweeping ban of news in Australia, Facebook appears to have banned its own page.
Snopes→ In Surprise Move, Facebook Blocks News Access in Australia
Facebook acted after the House of Representatives passed legislation that would make it and Google pay for Australian journalism, said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Photo Show Train Riders Ignoring a Woman Needing a Seat?
A story that first spread online without context in February 2019 did so once again in January 2021 — prompting the same disgusted reaction. The photograph shows an elderly woman holding on to a safety pole inside a metro train in Sydney, Austra
Poynter→ IFCN Talks #1: ‘Fact-checkers shouldn’t be shields for social media platforms,’ researchers say
The first ever IFCN Talks panel looked at the recent spate of social media deplatformings, with researchers Lucas Graves, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Francisco “Chico” Brito Cruz, director of Brazil’s Internet Lab, both a
Snopes→ Did Facebook Apologize for Removing ‘Plymouth Hoe’ Posts?
Plymouth Hoe is a landmark in Devon, England. The social media site erroneously flagged the name as offensive.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘We Need 100 Percent of People Indoors’
Online flailing in support of outgoing United States President Donald Trump was accompanied by yet another go-round for a meme proclaiming — falsely — that Trump would be fulfilling the mission of the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory known a
Poynter→ Researchers say Facebook should allow fact-checkers to fact-check politicians
Disinformation researchers are arguing that Facebook should do more than just indefinitely block President Donald Trump. They argue the company should go further by doing away with its exemption of politicians from its Third-Party Fact-Checking program
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Trump Have an OnlyFans Account?
As outgoing United States President Donald Trump and his supporters were locked out of some digital platforms, social media users asked — sometimes derisively — if Trump would open an account on the subscription-based service OnlyFans. Two
Poynter→ International fact-checkers aren’t quite celebrating Zuckerberg’s decision to block Trump
The minute Mark Zuckerberg announced President Donald Trump’s account had been blocked from the social media platform for an indefinite time, fact-checkers outside the United States shook their heads and began a discussion. Is this policy going to be
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Illinois Police Filmed Arresting Another Law Enforcement Officer?
Footage of police officers seemingly arresting one of their own drew attention — and some cheers — online in December 2020, but authorities have not elaborated on the incident. As the Daily Dot reported, the incident was captured in Harvey
Poynter→ The second round of Coronavirus Fact-Checking Grant recipients report back on their projects
A little less than a month after the International Fact-Checking Network and Facebook distributed more than half a million dollars in grant funding to 13 fact-checking organizations fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair awarded an additional $300,00
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Vanity and Greed’: Despite Disinformation Crises, Facebook Continues Making Inroads Into Major Newsrooms
Despite years of scrutiny now yielding a whole slew of lawsuits — such as those announced in the United States, Australia, and Germany in late 2020 — Facebook is continuing to pursue partnerships with news organizations, despite major c
Poynter→ An inoculation strategy: Give people good information on COVID-19 vaccines
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here. Minding the gap Last week, Facebook announced it would be
Poynter→ An inoculation strategy: Give people good information on COVID-19 vaccines
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here. Minding the gap Last week, Facebook announced it would be
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Candace Owens Win a Huge Lawsuit Against Facebook Fact-Checkers?
A November 29 2020 TheScoop.us item bearing the headline “Candace Owens Wins Huge Lawsuit Against Biased Liberal Facebook Fact-Checkers” made a titular claim that Owens successfully sued Facebook’s third-party fact-checkers, although
Truth or Fiction?→ Activists Accuse Facebook of Ignoring Warning on Neo-Nazi Groups’ Spread
An activist group combating the proliferation of white supremacist propaganda online accused Facebook in a November 2020 report of failing to act when alerted to the spread of one such network on its platforms in 2018. “Facebook’s leadersh
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation: Introduction and Overview
This is the first of a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. In 2015 and 2016, new and paranoid strains of political ideology took social media discourse by storm. The details varied by c
Poynter→ Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg at a crossroads on their companies’ misinformation policies
Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg usually disagree, at least as far as Twitter and Facebook policies are concerned. But during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the two tech CEOs seemed to find common ground on a few topics where they had p