Ending Meta’s fact-checking program could increase climate misinformation on Facebook and Instagram

Question

Meta decided to scale back its partnerships with independent fact-checkers, and experts think this could lead to more climate misinformation circulating on Facebook and Instagram. Fact-checkers used to flag or downrank posts with false claims, so removing them might let misleading climate content spread faster. This matters because people often rely on social media for news, and less fact-checking usually means more confusion.

Answer 1

Meta has reduced or changed parts of its partnerships with independent fact-checking organizations in the past, and many experts and researchers have warned that less fact-checking can allow misinformation — including climate misinformation — to spread more easily on social media. However, the claim uses the word “could increase,” which means it is a prediction rather than a proven outcome. There is evidence supporting the concern, but there is no definitive proof that climate misinformation will increase, only that experts believe it is more likely.