Meta eliminates fact-checking in latest bow to Trump

Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced changes to content moderation on Facebook and Instagram long sought by conservatives. The move to replace third-party fact-checking with user-written “community notes” similar to those on Trump backer Elon Musk’s social platform X is the latest example of a media company moving to accommodate the incoming administration. When asked if he believed Zuckerberg made the changes in response to threats the incoming president has made, Trump responded: “Probably.” Meta is among several tech companies apparently working to get in Trump’s good graces before he takes office later this month. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print “We have in many ways an economy that’s the envy of the world and people come here to start businesses because they don’t have to be aligned with the governing regime like they do in the rest of the world,” Nyhan said. “The move will elate conservatives, who’ve often criticized Meta for censoring speech, but it will spook many liberals and advertisers, showing just how far Zuckerberg is willing to go to win Trump’s approval.” X’s approach to content moderation has led to the loss of some advertisers, but Enberg said Meta’s “massive size and powerhouse ad platform insulate it somewhat from an X-like user and advertiser exodus.” Even so, she said, any major drop in user engagement could hurt Meta’s ad business.