Facebook Suspends Australian Fact-checking Operation Amid Foreign Influence Scandal Uncovered by Fact Check Files
Facebook fact-checkers are actual conspiracy theorists, and so called conspiracy theorists are the real fact checkers They never fell for some in a wet market could possibly introduce Global lockdowns all on its own, and ban flying and life for 2 years, and already have a vaccine made for the Bs19 plandemic ahead of time That’s a big conspiracy without evidence.
Facebook suspends Australian fact-checking operation amid foreign influence scandal uncovered by Fact Check Files
Facebook has blocked an Australian fact checking operation from policing content on its platform after a Sky News Australia investigation uncovered a secret foreign-funded bid to influence the upcoming Voice referendum.
The powerful RMIT Factlab operation – which was being paid up to $740,000 a year by Meta – will be banned from judging what is true or false on social media while Meta and the International Fact Checking Network probe its operation.
Sky News Australia’s investigation, dubbed The Fact Check Files, revealed the university’s fact checking director Russell Skelton was campaigning for the Voice and re-sharing slogans and images created by Labor’s Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney.
Skelton’s team was responsible for several misleading fact checks against Sky News Australia which led to a censorship of journalism related to the Voice referendum.
A Meta spokesman told Sky News Australia that the allegations contained in the Fact Check Files led to a decision to suspend RMIT from its global fact-checking operation.
“The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) requires participating organizations to demonstrate a commitment to nonpartisanship and fairness,” Meta said.
“The IFCN will determine whether RMIT FactLab’s expired certification should be reinstated.
“Considering both the nature of the allegations against RMIT and the upcoming referendum, we have decided to suspend RMIT from our fact-checking program pending the IFCN’s decision.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to stop the spread of misinformation on our services and continue to partner with AAP and AFP in Australia.”
RMIT Fact Lab director Russell Skelton campaigns for the Voice even though he is bound by strict impartiality rules.
While Meta was responsible for payments to the RMIT, the tech giant did not endorse any effort to unduly target one side of the referendum debate. That allegation played a major factor in Meta’s decision to suspend RMIT Factlab from its internal systems.
The decision to axe RMIT from the global fact checking operation means RMIT will need to demonstrate it can adhere to the strict Code of Principles Meta has promised govern fact checking on the platform.
The fact checks by RMIT took place while the university was operating with expired fact checking credentials. The operation had the power to censor journalism on Facebook for more than 8 months even though its certification had lapsed.
Another RMIT fact checker, Renee Davidson, also put the University in jeopardy of breaching impartiality clauses in the IFCN’s Code of Principles by labelling Opposition Leader Peter Dutton a fear-mongering racist on her personal social media account.
RMIT fact checker Renee Davidson has shared content which labels the Coalition’s Peter Dutton a fear-mongering racist.
The fact checking operation was also likely in breach of section 2.2 of the IFCN’s Code of Principles which do not allow fact checking operations to unduly focus on one side of political debates.
An audit of RMIT Voice fact checks showed the 17 Voice checks between May 3 and June 23 this year were all targeting anti-Voice opinions or views.
Meta has been under pressure globally since the Fact Check Files were published, with billionaire Elon Musk re-sharing the investigation and declaring that Facebook was “manipulating the public almost everywhere on Earth”.
Sky News Australia has obtained a letter from Senator James Paterson, the chair of the Australian senate’s powerful Intelligence and Security committee, which demanded Meta explain how its fact checking operation was allowed to censor important political debates.
“I am deeply concerned by recent reports that Meta is censoring legitimate reporting on its platform, Facebook, relating to the upcoming referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the Australian Constitution,” Senator Paterson wrote to Meta’s Australian Director of Public Policy, Mia Garlick.
“A private company interfering with the free speech of Australians is cause for concern under any circumstances. But the decision of a foreign headquartered social media platform to interfere with legitimate public discourse during a referendum to change the Australian Constitution is particularly egregious and cannot go unaccounted.”
Senator Paterson also asked Meta to provide a guarantee the referendum debate would not be influenced or supressed by Meta moving forward.
“Given your recent evidence before the Select Committee, I am seeking a full explanation of how this was allowed to occur, and measures that will now be put in place to ensure that Meta will not further suppress legitimate public debate in the lead up to the Voice referendum,” he wrote.
Meta CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg had made promises to governments globally that the fact checking industry was both independent and overseen by the IFCN.
However, The Fact Check Files investigation revealed Meta had a direct commercial relationship with RMIT which allowed it to pocket up to $740,000 a year in payments.
Sky News host Peta Credlin was targeted by RMIT Factlab for her coverage of a Uluru Statement to the Heart document which was released under a public Freedom of Information Request.
Skelton’s fact checking team ruled it was false to declare that the Uluru statement was longer than one page, and used quotes from one of its authors Professor Megan Davis as evidence.
However, those quotes from Professor Davis were inconsistent with her earlier comments which stated the document was much longer than one page.
Ms Davis also said this:
- In her 2018 Parkes Oration: “The Uluru Statement from the Heart isn’t just the first one-page statement; it’s actually a very lengthy document of about 18 to 20 pages, and a very powerful part of this document reflects what happened in the dialogues.”
- In a 2022 article in The Australian: “The Uluru Statement… is occasionally mistaken as merely a one-page document… in totality (it) is closer to 18 pages and includes… a lengthy narrative called ‘Our Story'”.
- In a webinar for the Australian Institute in August 2022: “It’s actually like 18 pages, the Uluru Statement. People only read the first”
- At the recent Sydney Peace Prize award ceremony: “It’s very important for Australians to read the statement, and the statement is also much bigger it’s actually 18 Pages”
Debate around the length of the Uluru document became political with Labor arguing it was just one page while the Coalition disagreed.
As a result of RMIT Factlab’s false fact check, Australians on Facebook were stopped from hearing the debate. The fact check also had the chilling impact of limiting the reach of all of Sky News Australia’s journalism.
This meant important news, debate and even live press conferences streamed to the platform were blocked to the world.
Another misleading fact check related to former Liberal MP Nicolle Flint, who weighed into a controversial United Nationals Declaration On the Rights of Indigenous People.
In a live interview on Sky News Australia Ms Flint argued implementing the declaration legislatively could lead to Indigenous Australians having their own independent political system.
Her opinion on a speculative future event, of which no legislation existed, was deemed false by fact checkers. This was a breach of the IFCN rules which state a fact checker cannot deem opinions to be false.
When Sky News Australia raised concerns with RMIT Factlab it stood by its staff and claimed they had freedom of speech on social media.
Director of the International Fact Checking Network Angie Holan says she will not dictate how fact checkers abide by her Code of Principles.
The International Fact Checking Network director Angie Holan said it was not her place to tell fact checkers how to follow the code.
“The IFCN does not dictate to fact-checkers how they abide by the principles,” she said.
The comment raised questions about the integrity of the fact checking process and whether any operations were required to follow the rules.
RMIT told Sky News Australia it stood by its work on “misinformation” and claimed its suspension related to a lapsed accreditation status.
“RMIT is aware that Meta has temporarily suspended its use of FactLab’s services and understands this decision relates to RMIT FactLab’s accreditation with the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN),” it said.
“This accreditation is currently in the process of being renewed.
“The IFCN has confirmed that FactLab’s fact-checking meets all its standards and adheres to the IFCN’s Code of Principles.”
Even though RMIT sought to frame its suspension as solely relating to the expired accreditation, Meta has been clear it is also investigating allegations that the university had breached the Code of Principles.
The RMIT went on to blame the IFCN for its lack of accreditation, but asked Sky News to only include that sentence as “background”, not to be attributed to the university spokesman.
“The ICFN is a small organisation and there can be delays with processing renewals and these updates being reflected online,” the RMIT said in a written statement.
The statement is at odds with Meta’s communications and the IFCN website publicly states the onus is on fact checking organisations to become accredited.
————————–
Resources:
https://twitter.com/jamiemcintyre21/status/1696506023421624337?s=20
https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/facebook-suspends-australian-factchecking-operation-amid-foreign-influence-scandal-uncovered-by-fact-check-files/news-story/8df4dc7bcbc4ac5a4b005fc4c72c5b7f