“Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.” 

This statement stuck out on the page with a large number one to its left.

No. Two followed, then three: “Its essence is a discipline of verification.” 

This ten-point list is from “The Elements of Journalism” by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, one of the first readings assigned in my New Literacy class this semester.

Over half of U.S. adults get their news from social media, and one in five receive their news from social media influencers. We are discovering groundbreaking, worldwide news through Instagram stories and Facebook groups. These social media platforms have become a form of journalism, and therefore have an obligation to the truth and a dedication to verification. 

On Jan. 7, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s company that owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and other platforms, ended its fact-checking program on these social media platforms. 

What does this mean exactly? 

According to an article written by AP News, Zuckerberg said “it was time to prioritize “free expression” and that fact-checkers had become ‘politically biased’.”

Imagine if Fox News, NBC or the Washington Post decided to eliminate their fact-checking system. This would mean that there is no fact check for statistics, names, grammar and information accuracy. 

Without fact-checking systems for news outlets, inaccurate information could be released to the public. If all media outlets followed Zuckerberg’s view on fact-checking, it would be the responsibility of readers to figure out whether the information that they consume is true. 

The danger of misinformation

A lack of fact-checking creates misinformation. On Jan. 6, for example, misinformation across social media, especially on Facebook, had catastrophic results. 

An NPR interview with Drew Harwell, a Washington Post reporter, discussed how the impact of social media was left out of the insurrection reports, and that “tech companies failed to act on their own employees’ warnings about violent rhetoric growing on their platforms in part out of reluctance to penalize conservatives, particularly then-President Trump.” 

People were severely injured and even killed. In addition, property was violated and the United States was changed— all because of a Facebook group built on conspiracy theories. This event was in 2021, three years before Meta even ended fact-checking. 

If social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are to continue to act as sources of journalism, they have a responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation on their platforms.

Journalistic independence

Another element of fair and accurate journalism is independence. This means that the news source is not influenced by anyone in power, such as a political figure or its owner. 

Zuckerberg was seen dining with Trump after donating $2 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, which was sourced by Meta. This means Trump has influence over the exact platform where the election fraud conspiracy began. A conspiracy theory that he still holds up to this day. A conspiracy that sparked an attack on our government. 

This is terrifying. The fact that several prevalent news sources have no fact-checking system and are being influenced by someone with extreme power is scary. I am bothered by this. Everyone should be bothered by this. 

If Instagram, Facebook and X are sources of news and places of journalism, they should function as such. Unfortunately, it appears that the pursuit of the truth is not Meta’s goal. This means that as consumers of the news, we must strengthen our ability to spot misinformation online. 

While it shouldn’t be our responsibility, it has become such. 

I implore you to search for a variety of sources, read different articles on the same topic and find sources that verify the information that they publish. We have to be seekers of the truth, not only to receive accurate information but also to protect ourselves and others and preserve the integrity of the country’s values.