{"id":311706,"date":"2025-01-09T15:11:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T20:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=meta-to-change-its-fact-checking-policy"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:25:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:25:53","slug":"meta-to-change-its-fact-checking-policy","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/meta-to-change-its-fact-checking-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Meta to change its fact-checking policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today\u2019s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Meta\u2019s changes to its fact-checking process<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> 8 facts about Americans and TikTok<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> A look at the app monitoring wildfires in the western U.S.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> How should the press cover a second Trump presidency?<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Will a TikTok ban happen? We asked Americans last summer<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meta<\/strong> CEO Mark Zuckerberg <a href=\"https:\/\/about.fb.com\/news\/2025\/01\/meta-more-speech-fewer-mistakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently announced<\/a> major <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/tech\/social-media\/meta-ends-fact-checking-program-community-notes-x-rcna186468\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">changes to the company\u2019s content moderation policies<\/a> ahead of Donald Trump\u2019s second term as president. The company will <strong>end its third-party fact-checking program<\/strong> and <strong>rely on users to flag misleading or false information,<\/strong> similar to the policy on X (formerly Twitter). Meta also will end some restrictions on posts about topics like immigration and gender, and focus automated content moderation systems on \u201cillegal and high-severity violations\u201d such as terrorism and fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Large majorities of news consumers on <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/facebook-users-experiences-with-news\/#views-about-news-on-facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/instagram-users-experiences-with-news\/#views-about-news-on-instagram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a> say they at least sometimes <strong>see news there that seems inaccurate,<\/strong> according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. This includes a <strong>third of Facebook news consumers<\/strong> and a <strong>quarter of Instagram news consumers<\/strong> who say they see this <strong>extremely or fairly often.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/07\/20\/most-americans-favor-restrictions-on-false-information-violent-content-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 Center survey<\/a>, <strong>a majority of Americans (65%) supported tech companies taking steps to restrict false information online,<\/strong> even if it means limiting freedom of information. About eight-in-ten Democrats (81%) expressed this view, while about half of Republicans (48%) said the same. The share of Democrats who supported tech companies restricting false information increased substantially between 2018 and 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans increasingly have been turning to the short-form video sharing platform TikTok \u2013 both <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2024\/01\/31\/americans-social-media-use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in general<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/11\/15\/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">for news<\/a> \u2013 even as the app faces an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/news\/2025\/01\/06\/us-tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court\/77495963007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">uncertain future in the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/12\/20\/8-facts-about-americans-and-tiktok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eight key facts about Americans and TikTok<\/a>, drawn from recent Pew Research Center studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>A look at the <strong>app monitoring wildfires<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/jan\/05\/watch-duty-wildfire-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the western U.S.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Journalists and news outlets urge <strong>Apple <\/strong>to disable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cge93de21n0o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controversial AI news alerts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>In <strong>Canada<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/entertainment\/google-online-news-act-exemption-1.7422690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google sends $100 million<\/a> in exchange for <strong>exemption from the Online News Act<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n<li>New book reveals <strong>Trump camp<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/01\/08\/media\/trump-fox-news-town-hall-questions-maria-bartiromo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received questions ahead of Fox News town hall<\/a>, breaching journalism ethics<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/01\/07\/x-hires-former-wsj-editor-and-bureau-chief-to-lead-news-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X hires former WSJ editor<\/a> to lead news team<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Florida jury to decide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/style\/media\/2025\/01\/06\/cnn-defamation-trial-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNN defamation suit filed by Navy vet<\/a> over Afghan withdrawal claims&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Journalists at <strong>The Athletic<\/strong> ask for voluntary recognition to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2025\/01\/06\/athletic-union-new-york-times\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">join New York Times union<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Washington Post <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/07\/business\/media\/washington-post-layoffs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lays off workers<\/a> in business division<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration approaches, The Washington Post spoke to 10 influential journalists about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/style\/media\/2025\/01\/07\/trump-media-news-coverage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how the news media should cover Trump\u2019s second term<\/a>. Ideas ranged from follow-up reporting on the promises Trump made on the campaign trail, to avoiding the trap of false equivalency in pursuit of objectivity, to simply covering his actions and policies as normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, a Center study examined <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2017\/10\/02\/covering-president-trump-in-a-polarized-media-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how the news media covered the early days of the first Trump administration<\/a>. Among the key findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Among the top topics within coverage of the Trump administration were the president\u2019s <strong>political skills <\/strong>(17% of stories), <strong>immigration <\/strong>(14%), presidential <strong>appointments and nominations<\/strong> (13%), U.S.-Russia relations (13%), and health care (9%).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Four times as many stories had a <strong>negative assessment of the administration<\/strong> (44% of stories) as had a positive one (11%).<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>One-in-ten stories refuted a statement by the Trump administration.<\/strong> Stories from news outlets with left-leaning audiences were more likely than those with right-leaning audiences to do this (15% vs. 2%).<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As questions loom about TikTok\u2019s fate in the United States, we look at Americans\u2019 expectations regarding a potential ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/09\/05\/support-for-a-us-tiktok-ban-continues-to-decline-and-half-of-adults-doubt-it-will-happen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summer 2024 survey<\/a>, half of U.S. adults said they thought it was unlikely that TikTok would be banned in the U.S., while 31% said it was likely. Another 19% said they weren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e5e1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e5e1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_24.09.05_tiktok-ban_4.webp?resize=480,437 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_24.09.05_tiktok-ban_4.webp?resize=782,711 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_24.09.05_tiktok-ban_4.webp?resize=840,764 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"582\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_24.09.05_tiktok-ban_4.webp?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-197297 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That\u2019s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus, 8 facts about Americans and TikTok; the app monitoring wildfires<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5591,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Meta to change its fact-checking policy","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, 8 facts about Americans and TikTok; 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