In an interview with AFP on Wednesday, Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa issued a warning about “extremely dangerous times ahead” following the termination of the US fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram by social media behemoth Meta.
In addition to defending criminal suits brought under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte following critical reporting of his deadly drug war, Ressa and the Rappler news site, which she co-founded, have spent years combating online falsehoods.
According to the seasoned journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Meta’s choice portends “extremely dangerous times ahead” for social media users, journalism, and democracy. “Mark Zuckerberg says it’s a free speech issue that’s completely wrong,” Ressa told AFP at Rappler’s newsroom in Manila.
“Only if you’re profit driven can you claim that; only if you want power and money can you claim that. This is about safety.”
Meta’s announcement on Tuesday was seen by analysts as an attempt by Zuckerberg to appease US President-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration this month.
For years, Trump has been an outspoken opponent of Zuckerberg and Meta, alleging the internet tycoon of being biased against him and vowing to take revenge on him when he returns to Washington.
In the United States’ highly polarized political environment, fact-checking and disinformation research have long been contentious issues. Conservative US activists claim that these practices are being used to censor right-wing content and restrict free expression.
Zuckerberg’s claim that fact-checkers had become “too politically biased” and “destroyed more trust than they’ve created” was denied by Ressa, a US citizen as well.
“Journalists have a set of standards and ethics,” Ressa told AFP.
“What Facebook is going to do is get rid of that and then allow lies, anger, fear and hate to infect every single person on the platform.”
Meta’s actions would lead to a “world without facts” and “that’s a world that’s right for a dictator”, Ressa warned.
Rappler is one of the partners working with Facebook’s fact-checking program.
AFP also currently works in 26 languages with Facebook’s fact-checking program, in which Facebook pays to use fact-checks from around 80 organisations globally on its platform, WhatsApp and on Instagram.
In a statement shared with AFP, Rappler said it intends to continue working with Facebook “to protect fellow Filipinos from manipulation and the dangers of disinformation”.
“What has happened in the US is just the beginning,” Rappler said.
“It is an ominous sign of more perilous times in the fight to preserve and protect our individual agency and shared reality.”
Ressa vowed to do everything she could to “ensure information integrity”.
“This is a pivotal year for journalism survival,” Ressa said.
“We’ll do all we can to make sure that happens.”
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