Truth, Not Censorship | Editorial

In contrast to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s characterization of fact-checking as unwanted censorship, most Americans actually agree that the U.S. government and technology companies should each take steps to restrict false information and extremely violent content online.

Libraries can help with misinformation resilience

When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he will discontinue the use of third-party fact-checkers on his platforms in the United States, he described it as a return to embracing free speech. The move eliminates algorithmic scanning forharmful content and, notably, terminates a long-standing partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to fight misinformation.

Without independent fact-checking, the likelihood that Meta’s algorithms will amplify sensational and dangerous misinformation is all but certain.

In contrast to Zuckerberg’s characterization of fact-checking as unwanted censorship, most Americans actually agree that the U.S. government and technology companies should each take steps to restrict false information and extremely violent content online.

“People don’t want an information free-for-all,” says Angie Holan, director of the IFCN. When it comes to fact-checking, “I hold up a library ethos—make accurate and trustworthy information easily available because many people do not have the time or expertise to vet it on their own.”

“Most Americans favor restrictions on false information, violent content online.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (July 20, 2023) https://pewrsr.ch/3NZ7vFt.

For libraries, this is a moment to dig into media literacy work. In 2023, the American Library Association partnered with the Poynter Institute’s social-first digital media literacy initiative to train librarians on improving information integrity in their local communities. Their BeMediaWise toolkit has been used by more than 3,200 library professionals—and more need to get involved.

IFCN’s upcoming annual International Fact-Checking Day on April 2 presents one opportunity for libraries to introduce public programming or staff training on curtailing misinformation. According to Holan, staying up to date on search skills and media literacy are key actions that librarians can take.

Civic life in the United States is currently experiencing what the RAND Corporation has described as a period of “truth decay,” a phenomenon marked by diminishing trust in traditional media and a growing preference for partisan opinion and analysis over fact-based reporting.

The thing is, facts do matter. The decline of fact-based communication erodes public trust in institutions and weakens civil discourse. In a fragmented media landscape that has fewer small, trusted outlets (local newspapers continue to disappear at a rate of two per week), more billionaire media owners prioritizing profit over public interest, and an administration that has called the media “the enemy of the people,” libraries play an important role in supporting efforts to promote truth and build a stronger information ecosystem.

Fact-checking on social media platforms isn’t about silencing voices and viewpoints; rather, it’s about correcting false claims and improving the quality of information people use to make decisions. In an open letter to Zuckerberg responding to his claims that fact-checking amounts to censorship, members of the IFCN conclude, “Fact-checkers strongly support freedom of expression.... The freedom to say why something is not true is also free speech.”

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Hallie Rich

Hallie Rich

hrich@mediasourceinc.com

Hallie Rich is Editor-in-Chief of Library Journal.

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