Many are bringing their opinions forward on Meta’s decision to drop “fact checkers”. Claims on Reddit and Wired present it as the end of the world. The lamenting seems over the top and the thing is, they really miss the mark completely.
It is well known “fact checkers” were simply people with no particular training and likely with a bias of their own if not a paid agenda. Their “verifications” involved little to no qualifying research, often without any citations or proof. What they did say was mostly subjective, emotional, or a mirror image of media bias seen elsewhere. Yet the gate keepers ended up having internet “god” power over speech because no one policed these police. Removal of “fact checkers” doesn’t mean these companies don’t control content anymore – they always have.
It should be refreshing, though, not to have a group of self proclaimed truth analysts dictating access to information. Opportunity to decide for one’s self is the very basis of any democracy yet there are many whining and morning the “loss” of dictatorship. Exchange of ideas is necessary. Facts need to be left alone in order to be discovered. Bad decisions are made in the absence of full disclosure which is exactly what “fact checkers” were stifling. In a democracy, people have the right to make their own choices but when agenda pushers remove information the process is compromised and driven in a specific direction.
Instead of whining about the change, it should be celebrated as returning a little freedom to the people to research and decide for themselves. Some of us don’t require thought babysitters, but don’t hold your breath or assume censorship has suddenly been removed – it hasn’t.