While the exact timeline and scope of changes for overseas partners remain uncertain, the move has raised concerns about its global implications for tackling misinformation.
Financial Impact on Meta Fact-Check
Meta’s decision has placed its fact-checking partners in a precarious position. Previously, the company had portrayed itself as a staunch supporter of independent fact-checking.
Since 2016, Meta claimed to have invested over $100 million in fact-checking programs, describing its network as the “largest global fact-checking network of any platform.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Meta expanded support for fact-checkers, launching initiatives like the $1 million emergency grant program in partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
IFCN’s Corona Virus Facts Alliance generated over 11,000 fact-checks across 40 languages. Meta also funded climate misinformation grants and supported election-related fact-checking efforts worldwide.
However, this financial backing will now come to an abrupt halt, leaving organizations like PolitiFact—which derived over 5% of its 2024 revenue from Meta partnerships—scrambling to find alternative funding sources.
Allegations of Political Bias
The decision to end third-party fact-checking has reignited debates over the role of bias in content moderation. Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, said that fact-checkers often failed to remain impartial.
