Facebook (Meta) suspends Australian fact-checking operation amid foreign influence scandal uncovered by Fact Check Files

Sky News ^ | 08/29/2023 | Jack Houghton

[SeekAndFind]

Facebook has suspended an Australian fact checking operation from policing content on its platform after a Sky News Australia investigation uncovered a secret foreign-funded bid to influence the upcoming Voice referendum.

The powerful Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Factlab operation - which was being paid up to $740,000 a year by Meta - will be banned from judging what is true or false on social media while Meta and the International Fact Checking Network probe its operation.

Sky News Australia’s investigation, dubbed The Fact Check Files, revealed the university’s fact checking director Russell Skelton was campaigning for the Voice and re-sharing slogans and images created by Labor’s Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney.

Skelton’s team was responsible for several misleading fact checks against Sky News Australia which led to a censorship of journalism related to the Voice referendum.

A Meta spokesman told Sky News Australia that the allegations contained in the Fact Check Files led to a decision to suspend RMIT from its global fact-checking operation.

“The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) requires participating organizations to demonstrate a commitment to nonpartisanship and fairness," Meta said.

"The IFCN will determine whether RMIT FactLab’s expired certification should be reinstated.

"Considering both the nature of the allegations against RMIT and the upcoming referendum, we have decided to suspend RMIT from our fact-checking program pending the IFCN’s decision.

"We remain steadfast in our commitment to stop the spread of misinformation on our services and continue to partner with AAP and AFP in Australia."

[Sgt_Schultze]

“ International Fact Checking Network “

Sounds like something a troll would say.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

(RMIT) Factlab operation...will be banned from judging what is true or false

Orwell's only error was that he was off a few years.

[mitch5501]

You’d think free speech would be the best fact checker. Nobody gets to hide their nonsense.

[MAGAthon]

this is a big story in Australia.

note: “Sky News Australia’s investigation, dubbed The Fact Check Files, revealed the university’s fact checking director ***Russell Skelton was campaigning for the Voice...”

***Skelton is married to taxpayer-funded, far-left ABC Australia veteran, Virginia Trioli, and RMIT/ABC run a separate “fact-checking” unit together...which is always pro “climate change”, covid policies, anti-Trump, etc.

“the voice” refers to a referendum in October to decide whether to change the Australian Constitution to allow for not only recognition of “indigenous” Australians, but for there to be yet another bureaucracy called “the voice to Parliament”, which would advise government about policies affecting Indigenous people.

nothing is clear about any of this, and there are already dozens of “indigenous” organisations, with thousands of staff, plus tens of billions of dollars a year funding for indigenous people, so it’s hard to know why this new “voice” would be necessary?

virtually all corporations/sporting bodies/celebrities/churches, etc are in favour of “the voice”, but polling, at this time, suggests it will be rejected by the Australian public, which includes some very high profile indigenous people in its ranks.