‘Fact Checkers checking facts falsely’: Sheryl Attkisson reveals who is determining ‘fake news’

April 14, 2018 | | Print Article

Sheryl Attkisson, the former D.C. bureau investigative correspondent for CBS News, revealed Facebook’s “new plan to crack down on fake news.”

Coming the same week Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was being grilled on Capitol Hill about bias at the social media platform, Attkisson reveals that the “fact checkers” they are turning to, or the organizations behind them, are guilty themselves of peddling fake news.

Speaking at Hillsdale College this week, she exposed Zuckerberg and Co. more than a few grandstanding senators ever did.

“Facebook’s new plan to help crack down on fake news included collaborating with Pointer Institute’s “PolitiFact,” ABC News’ FactCheck.org, The Associated Press and Snopes,” Attkisson explained.

“Now this audience probably already knows the possible perils of all that from a neutrality standpoint,” she continued. “Its relying on some of the very organizations that have gotten caught in compromising situations or engaged in transactional journalism or reported biased and incorrect news themselves.”

Attkisson went on to detail specific examples to back up her claim — the testimony was damning.

“According to Facebook, each fact-checking entity would be given access to a tool to evaluate stories that may be inaccurate,” she told the audience. “If the chosen fact-checkers agree a story is misleading, the story would get a disputed label stamped on it and then an article reference explaining why it’s supposedly false.

The investigative journalist pointed to a released “field guide to fake news,” saying she looked through it.

“It included a category described as anti-liberal fake news sites, but none that were anti-conservative,” Attkisson explained.

“Apparently, under the definition used by first draft and its partners, there aren’t any left-leaning bad actors that are worthy of mention, only right,” she concluded.

But then, Diamond and Silk could have told you that — your move Mr. Zuckerberg.

Here’s a sample of reactions to Attkisson’s reporting, from Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JackieJackielg/status/984147901453512704

Tom Tillison

Tom Tillison

Tom is a grassroots activist who distinguished himself as one of the top conservative bloggers in Florida before joining BizPac Review.
Tom Tillison

Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

Comments

Latest Articles