President is happy about the cancellation of fact-checkers – which did not happen
When he announced the cancellation of the fact-checking program on his platforms, Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg was among the first to make Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić pleased. The President then shared his happiness with the viewers of TV Pink. In the central news program of this television station, Vučić labeled Istinomer, which has been part of Meta’s program since 2020, as “the worst censors” and “the biggest liars in Serbia”. Speaking about the “cancellation of so-called fact-checkers”, the President equated the uncovering of disinformation and manipulation with censorship, linking Istinomer, CRTA, and investigative journalists in Serbia to Western intelligence agencies. He saw Meta’s decision as a path to “freedom”, “hope for the global South”, and “hope for normal people”. He is not alone in his excitement; other government representatives and mainstream media, who were never told that fact-checkers existed before Meta’s program or the current government, share his enthusiasm.
On Sunday, January 12, President Aleksandar Vučić appeared on the central news of TV Pink. During his appearance, he commented on Meta’s decision to cancel the independent fact-checking program, primarily in the United States, on its platforms – Facebook and Instagram.
“Under the influence of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg decided to cancel the so-called fact-checkers. Look at what they’ve done to us in that neoliberal concept that has dominated for many decades and is now slowly, but surely, thankfully, breaking down for the benefit of humanity”, Vučić said, continuing to explain what is happening “for the benefit of humanity.”
“They perversely offered us a world in which the worst censors protect us from censorship. So, in Serbia, you had… that Istinomer. The biggest liars in Serbia. But connected to NGOs tied to CIA-linked NGOs and other Western NGOs, all under the broad umbrella of certain Western security-intelligence agencies. They tell you – this is not in our interest, this is a lie. Wait, wait, where is freedom of speech? No, no, freedom of speech is saying only what we want to be said. Along with them were CINS, BIRN, KRIK, CRTA, all the worst liars”, the President stated.
Vučić also pointed out that we are witnessing “deep changes in the world’s bloodstream” and shared his feelings about this.
“Am I happy about this? Yes, I am happy, there is more freedom. (…) This is hope for the global South. This is hope for normal people around the world. This is hope for normal people in America. This is hope for normal people in Germany, France, in every country in the world”, the President emphasized.
(So-Called) Fact-Checkers Remain
Although Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the cancellation of the fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram, neither he nor anyone else announced the “cancellation of fact-checkers”. Professional journalists have been uncovering disinformation even before Meta began collaborating with them. By canceling the program, only the official collaboration is ended, but the verification of information shared by users on social media, media outlets, or political actors, continues to be handled by Istinomer and other fact-checkers in Europe and the U.S.
Meta’s decision
The company Meta, which owns the platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced that it is ending its fact-checking program conducted by a third party, professional journalists worldwide.
According to the statement, Meta will first implement this decision in the United States, with the idea being to shift towards a “community notes” model, where different users will fact-check others’ posts, rate them, or provide context. This model is already being used on the “X”.
“We have reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms”, said Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
The fact-checking program, which Meta launched in 2016, involved checking content and scanning fake news in order to slow the spread of misinformation or deceptive information.
On TV Pink, President Vučić referred to fact-checkers as “the worst censors”, ignoring the fact that journalists who check information have no control over the content on Meta’s platforms. Only the company itself had that control since the beginning of the program.
Namely, every time fact-checkers marked a post as false, Facebook would push it lower on the news feed, significantly reducing its visibility and distribution. The aim of this model was to prevent the spread of false information and reduce the number of people who would see it. Those who did see the post would also see a Facebook warning (not from individual journalists or editorial teams) that the post contained false claims.
To label claims as false, fact-checkers cannot simply say, as the President explained, “This is not in our interest, this is a lie”. Verified fact-checkers are required to follow the highest international standards and codes of practice. This includes adhering to all ethical principles of professional journalism, following a clearly stated methodology for fact-checking, and consulting and clearly citing multiple relevant sources to determine the truthfulness of a claim.
The President’s remarks on “so-called fact-checkers” were also marked by other manipulations. In yet another instance of directly targeting journalists and NGOs, Vučić connected Istinomer, CRTA, and investigative journalists from CINS, BIRN, and KRIK with Western security-intelligence agencies. As with the narrative, the goal remains the same – portraying professional journalists as enemies working in the interest of the perpetually “evil West”.
“The media heart of darkness”
In addition to widely covering the President’s enthusiasm for Meta’s decision, some of the most influential media outlets especially highlighted it, using the same manipulative tone. For example, Informer referred to Mark Zuckerberg’s move as “a stake in the media heart of darkness” and the end of “brutal media censorship on the internet”.
“The era of brutal media censorship on the internet, established during the presidency of Joe Biden and inspired by the deadly ‘woke’ ideology, has definitely passed – the company Meta, the internet giant led by Mark Zuckerberg, decided to shut down the so-called fact-checkers – thus fulfilling the darkest nightmares of self-proclaimed independent, objective, and professional media employees like Raša Nedeljkov, director of CRTA, under whose censorship scissors operates the so-called Istinomer, Stevan Dojčinović, the editor-in-chief of KRIK, and Tamara Skrozza, one of the most recognizable journalists of Cenzolovka”, wrote Informer.
Meta’s decision was also celebrated by Serbian Progressive Party MP Vladimir Đukanović. He announced on social media that “an epochal change regarding freedom of speech” had occurred “on the level of humanity”.
“Mark Zuckerberg, as the owner of ‘Meta’ acknowledged that ‘Meta’ had participated in censoring information, and that it was done under the direct control of American Democrats, or globally under the influence of left-liberal groups. Namely, only left-liberal political organizations worldwide could have so-called fact-checkers. Specifically, in Serbia, these were CRTA, KRIK, Cenzolovka, Istinomer, and similar meaningless organizations and so-called media outlets. Zuckerberg announced the termination of cooperation with the so-called fact-checkers, meaning they will lose significant financial resources, and no longer be able to stifle freedom of speech. This is great news for humanity”, Đukanović wrote.