Can fact-checkers stop the fakery that echoes through Facebook feeds? Facebook has tried — with, as you’ve probably noticed, not much success — to control the rampant rumors, memes and non-facts. Fact-checkers have some ideas, too, but those ideas likely won’t work unless Facebook users actually care whether their feeds are full of fakes.
Quote of the week
“[T]his is also a time around the world when some of the fundamental ideals of liberal democracies are under attack, and when notions of objectivity, and of a free press, and of facts, and of evidence are trying to be undermined. Or, in some cases, ignored entirely. … And that’s why your power and your responsibility to dig and to question and to counter distortions and untruths is more important than ever.” — President Obama
The end of Aussie fact-checking?
Australians will likely learn “within 10 days” whether the prolific Fact Check unit of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation will survive budget cuts, ABC’s new manager testified this morning. Read it.
Extreme fact-checking
One particular presidential candidate has kept U.S. fact-checkers busy over the last several days. The Washington Post rounded up eight untruths from Republican candidate Donald Trump over the span of 16 hours. NPR took on Trump’s “depleted military” statement; the Sacramento Bee, Trump’s inflated crowd estimates; PolitiFact, his female fan base; and of course illegal immigration. Whew.
Fact-checking the EU
Fact-checkers in the United Kingdom also have been busy chasing the rumors leading up to the referendum to decide whether the UK will leave European Union. The Telegraph tracks down the biggest rumors as voters head to the polling stations.
Following the pesa
The goal of PesaCheck, a new fact-checking initiative in Kenya, is to examine only one issue: the country’s budget. While that may sound a little dry, corruption in Kenya makes the endeavor “sexy,” according to a University of Nairobi professor. Read it.
Fact-checking infographic of the week
Mexico’s El Sabueso live fact-checked the government’s budget. Ratings of “False,” “Ridiculous” and “Mostly False” were prominent.
Fact-checking the solar system
Sadly for Saturn fans around the world, the ringed planet did not overtake the sky on Sunday night, as predicted in a viral Facebook photo. A simple reverse-image search showed the photo was clipped from a creative Russian video, circa 2012.
Some fact-checking fun
So how do you fact-check a claim that someone is actually “Lucifer in the flesh”? You contact the Satanic Temple, an organization with chapters in the U.S., Italy and Finland. Read it.
The post The Week in Fact-Checking: Breaking the cycle of fakery on Facebook appeared first on American Press Institute.
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