Rejecting fact-checkers ‘like disbanding your fire department,’ ex-CNN reporter laments amid LA wildfires
Some media and fact-checking organizations have compared fact-checkers to first responders fighting a “fire” of conspiracy theories as wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles County.
On Monday, CNN published a report on Meta is discontinuing its third-party fact-checking system where he criticized the decision in light of “misinformation” about the forest fires themselves.
Article entitled “Soon to be out of a job, Meta’s fact-checkers are fighting the flames of wildfire conspiracy theories,” the reporter was quoted as comparing the fact-checkers to firefighters.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week that the social network will end its fact-checking system. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
“Rumors and speculation about the disaster began to swirl around the Internet like red-hot embers, before eventually becoming a wild blaze of massive conspiracy theories,” the article said.
Former CNN reporter Alan Duke, who co-founded the Meta-funded fact-checking house, added: “Cutting fact-checkers off social platforms is like disbanding your fire department.”
Other sites used similar language, comparing fact-checkers to firefighters fighting wildfires as news of the Los Angeles fires continued to unfold.
A few hours before the forest fires broke out on January 7, Full Fact CEO Chris Morriswhose company was affiliated with Facebook, used the term “first responders” to describe fact-checkers, expressing his disappointment.
Some fact-checkers and media commentators have compared conspiracy theories to “fires” and fact-checkers to “first responders.” (Jae C. Hong/AP)
“From protecting elections to protecting public health to dispersing potential riots in the streets, fact-checkers are the first responders in the information environment,” the statement said. “Our experts are trained to work in a way that promotes credible evidence and prioritizes addressing damaging information – we believe the public has a right to access our expertise.”
On Sunday, Forbes report compared the growth of conspiracy theories to a “wild fire” condemning Meta’s decision as an “ominous signal”.
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“It’s not just a corporate decision — it’s part of a social crisis,” says the Forbes article. “At a time when conspiracy theories are spreading like wildfire and trust in institutions is at an all-time low, one of the most powerful companies on the planet is shirking its responsibility to combat disinformation.”
A former CNN reporter argued that eliminating fact-checkers is like disbanding the fire department. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
In a video posted on Facebook on January 7, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted the company’s content moderation practices have “gone too far” since it was established in 2016.
“We will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies and restoring freedom of expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said. “Specifically, we’ll get rid of fact-checking tools and replace them with X-like Community Notes, starting in the US”
Although Zuckerberg explained his decision as a way to promote “free expression” on the Internet, many liberal commentators they attacked the idea of getting rid of fact-checkers as “incredibly dangerous.”
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