EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, August 30, 2025
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
EconomyLens.com
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Tech

Nobel winner Ressa tells AFP ‘dangerous times’ ahead after Meta ends US fact-checking

Natalie Fisher by Natalie Fisher
January 8, 2025
in Tech
Reading Time: 7 mins read
A A
0
30
SHARES
372
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa warns of 'dangerous times ahead' after social media giant Meta ended its US fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram. ©AFP

Manila (AFP) – Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa warned Wednesday of “extremely dangerous times ahead” in an interview with AFP after social media giant Meta ended its US fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram. Ressa and the Rappler news site she co-founded have spent years fighting online disinformation while battling court cases filed under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte after critical reporting of his deadly drug war.

Related

Austria orders YouTube to give users access to their data

Trump son hypes bitcoin on Hong Kong leg of Asia trip

AI giant Nvidia beats earnings expectations but shares fall

‘Resident Evil’ makers marvel at ‘miracle’ longevity

Musk’s xAI sues Apple, OpenAI alleging antitrust violations

The veteran journalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 said Meta’s decision meant “extremely dangerous times ahead” for journalism, democracy, and social media users. “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. Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of bias against him and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire once back in office. Fact-checking and disinformation research have long been a hot-button issue in a hyperpolarized political climate in the United States, with conservative US advocates saying they were a tool to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.

Ressa, who is also a US citizen, rejected Zuckerberg’s assertion that fact-checkers had become “too politically biased” and “destroyed more trust than they’ve created.” “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. “Mark Zuckerberg has ultimate power,” she said, “and he chooses wrongly to prioritize profit, Facebook’s annual profits, over safety of the people on the platforms.”

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 organizations globally on its platform, WhatsApp, and 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 has long maintained that the charges against her and Rappler were politically motivated after their critical reporting of the Duterte government’s policies, including its anti-drugs crackdown that killed thousands of people.

Trump, who vowed in his first post-election news conference to “straighten out” the “corrupt” US press, appeared to have taken a page from Duterte’s playbook, Ressa said. The incoming US president has launched unprecedented lawsuits against newspapers and pollsters that observers worry are the signs of escalating intimidation and censorship tactics.

Ressa vowed to do everything she could to “ensure information integrity.” “The Nobel Prize said that you cannot have democracy if you don’t have journalism,” Ressa said. “This is a pivotal year for journalism’s survival. We’ll do all we can to make sure that happens.”

© 2024 AFP

Tags: disinformationjournalismmedia
Share12Tweet8Share2Pin3Send
Previous Post

Indonesia upholds iPhone 16 sales ban after Apple offers $1 bn investment

Next Post

US, Canadian and Australian travellers now face UK entry fee

Natalie Fisher

Natalie Fisher

Related Posts

Tech

TikTok’s UK content moderation jobs at risk in AI shift

August 22, 2025
Tech

Nvidia chief says H20 chip shipments to China not a security concern

August 21, 2025
Tech

Meta makes huge cloud computing deal with Google: source

August 21, 2025
Tech

Google to provide Gemini AI tools to US government

August 21, 2025
Tech

Google unveils latest Pixel phones packed with AI

August 21, 2025
Tech

Google unveils latest Pixel phones packed with AI

August 21, 2025
Next Post

US, Canadian and Australian travellers now face UK entry fee

Global stocks diverge on renewed US inflation fears

US tariffs unlikely to have 'significant' inflation impact: Fed official

Can EU stand up to belligerent Big Tech in new Trump era?

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

September 30, 2024

Elon Musk’s X fights Australian watchdog over church stabbing posts

April 21, 2024

Women journalists bear the brunt of cyberbullying

April 22, 2024

France probes TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

May 6, 2024

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

77

Ghanaian finance ministry warns against fallout from anti-LGBTQ law

74

Shady bleaching jabs fuel health fears, scams in W. Africa

71

Stock markets waver, oil prices edge up

65

US appeals court finds Trump’s global tariffs illegal

August 30, 2025

US Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy again

August 29, 2025

In whirlwind tour, Qatari royal commits $70bn to southern Africa

August 30, 2025

Hearing ends without ruling on Trump attempt to oust Fed Governor Cook

August 30, 2025
EconomyLens Logo

We bring the world economy to you. Get the latest news and insights on the global economy, from trade and finance to technology and innovation.

Pages

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

Network

  • Coolinarco.com
  • CasualSelf.com
  • Fit.CasualSelf.com
  • Sport.CasualSelf.com
  • SportBeep.com
  • MachinaSphere.com
  • MagnifyPost.com
  • TodayAiNews.com
  • VideosArena.com
© 2025 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

© 2024 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.