Heritage Experts: Facebook Is Allowing Political Partisans to Game "Fact-Checking" Program

Heritage Experts: Facebook Is Allowing Political Partisans to Game "Fact-Checking" Program

Sep 16, 2020 1 min read

WASHINGTON -- Facebook is allowing its "fact-checking" program to be gamed by political partisans. PolitiFact justifies labeling an ad campaign by the American Principles Project as "missing context" -- and is thereby preventing these ads from running on the social network -- by arguing, "we can't predict the future." Well, here is one thing about the future that's sure: Facebook's credibility is on the line.

Klon Kitchen, director of The Heritage Foundation's Center for Technology Policy, said, "This is not a case where there is any ambiguity -- PolitiFact is gaming the system for political points. PolitiFact should be suspended from Facebook's fact-checking program and the company should do a complete review of this program if they want conservatives to have any trust going forward."

Rob Bluey, Heritage’s vice president of communication and executive editor of The Daily Signal, said, “While Heritage does not endorse or oppose candidates, or otherwise support the content of any ads mentioning candidates, it seems clear in this case that Facebook’s fact-checking program is being used to allow censorship on the issue of transgender ideology and its impact on women’s sports. This incident shows once again that conservatives are held to a different standard.”

Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action for America, added, "PolitiFact is abusing its role in Facebook's fact-checking program -- something conservatives have been saying for years. At a time when so many Americans rely on social media for information, I am appalled that Facebook would allow a blatant partisan attack against conservatives under the pretense of 'missing context.' This is clearly an effort to shutter a conservative viewpoint, shared by the majority of Americans, but at odds with left-wing 'fact-checkers.'"

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