With ‘Fact-Checkers’ On Their Way Out at Facebook, Babylon Bee Notes 12 Times Platform Fact-Checked Satire
In a recent declaration, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared a meaningful shift in the company’s approach to content moderation and free expression on its platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram. He stated that the company would reduce the role of fact-checkers, acknowledging that their efforts have led to excessive censorship and mistrust. Zuckerberg emphasized a return to prioritizing free speech by implementing a new community notes system, akin to X (formerly Twitter), to replace fact-checkers in the U.S.
Zuckerberg’s remarks highlight a belief that the past reliance on fact-checkers has frequently enough resulted in politically biased outcomes and numerous mistakes. He cited a cultural shift following recent elections as a reason for this re-evaluation, aiming to simplify policies and enhance trust among users. This change comes after criticisms of fact-checking efforts, especially regarding misinformation related to topics like satire, where fact-checkers sometimes misclassify content, leading to detrimental effects for users and entities involved in satire.
The article mentions that Zuckerberg’s decision, while seen as too late by some, marks a crucial pivot towards embracing more unfiltered dialog, reflecting frustrations over the previous moderation strategies that have been labeled as censorship by various groups.
Well, the reign of the fact-checkers appears to be over at the world’s biggest social media company, Meta.
In a set of remarks delivered Tuesday, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was attempting “to get back to our roots around free expression on and Instagram” by making major changes, including reducing the role so-called “fact-checkers” play in the process of determining what gets distribution.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said in the remarks.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech. So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms. More specifically, here’s what we’re going to do.
“First, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X starting in the US. After Trump first got elected in 2016, the legacy media wrote nonstop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy.
“We tried in good faith to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth, but the fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the US. So, over the next couple of months, we’re going to phase in a more comprehensive community notes system.”
Just in case you think that fact-checking has been a net-positive for the platform, the Babylon Bee wants to 12 times the fact-checkers got it wrong regarding their work. You may be thinking to yourself, “Wait, isn’t the Babylon Bee a satire site?”
Yeah, exactly. That’s kind of the problem.
First off, arguably the most infamous of these — where the Bee received a fact-checking ding because Snopes, then a Meta partner (they dropped out of the program in 2019), deemed “CNN Purchases Industrial-Sized Washing Machine To Spin News Before Publication” to be misinformation worthy of censorship and demonetization.
1. CNN Purchases Industrial-Sized Washing Machine To Spin News Before Publication
This was fact-checked by Snopes, and threatened us with suppression and demonetization for sharing false information. A classic. pic.twitter.com/9ZK0DAloYb
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
Next up, another Snopes doozy, a fact-check on “Ocasio-Cortez Appears On ‘The Price Is Right,’ Guesses Everything Is Free,” followed by a USA Today fact-check on “Ninth Circuit Court Overturns Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
3. Ninth Circuit Court Overturns Death Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
USA Today, another one of Facebook’s fact-checking partners, helpfully pointed out that this was satire. pic.twitter.com/0ckOywS9re
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
USA Today’s 2020 fact check noted what should be obvious to anyone looking at this: that the headline “is a nod to the contentious history between the Trump administration and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The Babylon Bee is ‘the world’s best satire site,’ according to its website.” (That last part is actually real, assuming Slate isn’t a satire website. Still not sure on this one.)
Another USA Today fact-check: “With Moon Water Announcement, Trump Proposes Space Navy.”
“You can also tell it’s satire because if you look really closely, you can see there’s a picture of an aircraft carrier on the moon,” the Bee noted.
5. Trump: ‘I Have Done More For Christianity Than Jesus’
In our defense, we wrote this before he actually said something like this. pic.twitter.com/LXOSsCsA8v
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
Another Snopes fact check had to do with Steven Furtick’s notorious Elevation Church, which takes, um, liberties with how modern the liturgy tends to get. (Bee headline: “Elevation Church Debuts Water Slide Baptismal.”)
“Well, OK, this one is believable,” they noted. However, “Pope Francis Says Covid Vaccine Will Now Be Required To Enter Heaven” definitely is not. That one was fact-checked by Reuters. One of the English language’s premier wire services, everyone.
7. Pope Francis Says Covid Vaccine Will Now Be Required To Enter Heaven
Another believable one, if we’re being honest. Thanks for the fact-check, Reuters. pic.twitter.com/Qq93qLVjOv
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
And the beat goes on:
9. California Considering Tax On Breathing
Snopes found this false, but we’re pretty sure it’s true? pic.twitter.com/iLFeIrOfnY
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
11. Thanks To New Laws, VeggieTales Finally Introduces New Cannabis Character
Fact check: false, 420 times over. pic.twitter.com/wFt5F1SUOJ
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
12. NBA Players Wear Special Lace Collars To Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Even the Guardian got fooled by this one. Sad! pic.twitter.com/vmsZftaBmG
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 8, 2025
Just to think: This is what they thought satire needed to be fact-checked with. Imagine what would have happened with a real story — like, say, Hunter Biden’s laptop, a story which reduced the distribution of in the run-up to the 2020 election.
So-called “fact-checking” has indeed been one of the great rackets of modern times, but the gravy train seems to have run out; even Zuckerberg has conceded it’s a flawed process which has done more harm than good and is irreparably tainted with bias. This move may be the better part of a decade too late, but better late than never.
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