Facebook to migrate fact checkers when AAP closes in June

We now know how Facebook will conduct fact checks after the closure of one of the news agencies it uses now.

The world’s biggest social media platform will transition the majority of its current Australian fact checkers to a new agency.

With the news that the Australian Associated Press (AAP) — an agency that provides much of the news content you consume in this country even if you don’t realise it — will close its newswire service with widespread job losses at the end of June, Facebook is set to lose the majority of its local fact checking team it currently has.

It’s now been confirmed the platform will partner with a new organisation being set up by the CEO of the old one.

Facebook partners with news organisations around the world to check the veracity of content posted on its platforms in an attempt to combat misinformation.

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Facebook could be looking at a future without most of its fact checkers. Picture: Christophe Simon / AFP

The social media company, worth hundreds of billions of dollars more than the agencies it partners with, doesn’t employ any fact checkers of its own, but it does pay some of the partners for their trouble.

In Australia, it partners with two agencies: the AAP whose days are now numbered, and the Agence France-Presse.

According to Buzzfeed News, there are a total of seven journalists working to verify content posted by Australia’s 17 million users.

Five of them are reportedly employed by AAP.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has accused the government of failing to “effectively deal with the damage being inflicted on news media by digital content aggregators, search engines and social media”.

“Google and Facebook are riding the coat-tails of news outlets, using the outlet’s news stories to lure away their audiences and advertisers which leads to the platforms also taking from the revenue streams that those news outlets sorely need,” MEAA federal president Marcus Strom said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

“This erosion of media revenues through the proliferation of sharing of content for free by the giant digital platforms is a major cause of why AAP is losing subscriber revenue,” he added.

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AAP Editor in chief Tony Gillies in his office before the AAP closure announcement on Tuesday. Picture: AAP Image/Dylan Coker

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According to a wire story an AAP journalist had to write about the decision that will see them out of a job, AAP CEO Bruce Davidson also laid some of the blame at the feet of digital platforms, and said “the business is no longer viable in the face of increasing free online content”.

AAP chairman Campbell Reid said facts will suffer with the agency gone.

“It is a great loss that professional and researched information provided by AAP is being substituted with the un-researched and often inaccurate information that masquerades as real news on the digital platforms,” Mr Reid said.

Mr Reid is also an executive at News Corp, publisher of news.com.au.

AAP editor-in-chief Tony Gillies said he’s worried about the future of Australian news.

“We have had a place like no other in journalism. We exist for the public’s interest and I now fear for the void left by the absence of AAP’s strong, well-considered voice,” Mr Gillies said.

A Facebook spokesperson said “We will continue to work with AAP on their fact-checking operations, with the support of our long term partner, Agence France-Presse (AFP)”.

AAP’s fact checking department said the service will be transitioned to a new company being set up by Mr Davidson.

“When AAP ceases operations, fact checking for Facebook will move to a new media services company which is being established by AAP CEO Bruce Davidson,” AAP executive editor Philip McLean told news.com.au.

“We are working closely with Facebook to ensure a seamless transition of this very important service.”

— with wires