LOS ANGELES.–Facebook and Instagram CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today he would eliminate fact checkinG from the two platforms stating since implementing it in 2020 they have made many mistakes, most importantly, moving away from the social network’s free speech mandate. Social networks received Section 230 protections under the 1996 Communications Decency Act rendering social networking companies immune from lawsuits arising to content published on their networks. Democrats influence at Facebook, Twitter and other social networks implemented a form of fact checking back in the 2020 election where all conspired to not release news related to Hunter Biden’s laptop computer, found at a Baltimore computer shop with incriminating information about President Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter’s overseas business deals netting the Biden family millions.
Zuckerberg did an abrupt about-face drawing groans from the liberal media that used their left-leaning platforms to stake political positions in 2020 against President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Republican cried foul in 2020, saying social networks should have their Section 230 protections rescinded now that they were censoring content, like the Hunter Biden’s laptop story. Zuckerberg said he was eliminating fact checking on his social network platforms, instead joining 53-year-old Elon Musk’s X platform [formerly Twitter] in utilizing “community notes,” or essentially complaints from community members to decide what to do with controversial content. Zuckerberg said he would eliminate restrictions on gender and immigration, two hot-button topics on social networks. Social networks would ban content on gender and immigration issues due to content.
Zuckerberg acknowledged that President-elect Donald Trump was opposed to censorship, something done by Democrat fact checkers working to censor Republican causes. Zuckerberg admitted it’s been difficult working under what became an atmosphere of censorship at Facebook and Instagram. Zuckerberg said he would work with President-elect Trump to eliminate the censorship, admitting he was pressured by a Democrat Senate and House to implement fact checking and other forms of censorship. “We’re getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity, and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate. It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the flor of Congress but not on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said. Zuckerberg expressed concern for censorship in Europe, China and Latin America.
Zuckerberg said he would relocate content moderation teams from California to Texas to to mitigate left-wing bias. “This will help remove the concern that biased employees are overly censoring content,” Zuckerberg wrote on Threads. New Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan is a Republican, hoping to reduce left-wing bias at Facebook. “We want to undo the mission creep that has made our rules too restrictive and too prone toward over-enforcement,” Kaplan said, showing that Zuckerberg aims to please Trump. Going to a “community notes” system like X, has Democrat up in arms, realizing that they won’t be able to control the narrative any longer. House incoming Ethics Chairman Jim Jordan, 60, recognizes the changes at Facebook, said he would meet with Zuckerberg in the next few weeks. Democrats don’t like what they see because fact-checking was the best way to discredit Republicans.
Fact-checking was used by ABC News David Muir and Linsey Davis who moderated the Sept. 10, 2024 Presidential debate between 60-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump. Muir and Davis tried to discredit Trump with fact-checking during the debate even though he agreed not to do it. It made Muir and Davis look biased, trying to make Trump look bad during the debate. Getting together with Jordan means the Zuckerberg has joined the enemy, once a reliable liberal to the Democrat party. Meta knows that they’ve had a left wing bias over the last four years, all to avoid regulatory issues in Congress, looking to restrict Facebook and Instagram. Jordan has a longstanding relationship with Joe Kaplan, now head if Facebook’s global affairs. Jordan sees Facebook as joining the Trump White House mission against censorship in the U.S. and overseas.
Ending fact-checking at Facebook irks Democrats because they can no longer censor content on the popular social network, pushing a Democrat agenda. Kaplan plans to have Facebook stay away from controversial topics like immigration and racial identity, essential issues for Democrat tying to build out their base. Democrats once thought they could wield perpetual control of national elections by turning immigrants away from the GOP. Democrats alienated voters so much in 2024 that Kamala lost all seven battleground states, despite her chief strategist David Plouffe, 57, and James Carville, 80, assuring Democrats they would win all the swing states. Going to a X-like “community notes” model end Democrat dominance over Facebook and other social platforms. With Zuckerberg and Musk at Trump’s side, Trump starts his new term with a wind at his back.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
