Meta’s decision to end fact-checking captures freewheeling zeitgeist

Mark Zuckerberg’s invocation of ‘cultural tipping point’ comes as number of fact-checking initiatives has plateaued.

When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this week that the social media giant would scrap third-party fact-checking and ease moderation of sensitive topics, he cast the decision as reflecting the zeitgeist.

The re-election of United States President-elect Donald Trump signalled a “cultural tipping point” towards free speech over moderation, Zuckerberg said.

In many ways, he was right.

Less than a decade after the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit spurred US tech platforms to crack down on misinformation online, momentum has shifted dramatically in favour of voices arguing for a less regulated, more freewheeling internet.

“This move by Meta is definitely part of a larger trend, with fact-checking undergoing some headwinds globally,” John P Wihbey, associate professor of media innovation and technology at Northeastern University in Canada, told Al Jazeera.