Latest news with #InternationalFact-CheckingDay
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Need the truth? Knowledge? Visit a library
Libraries remain a place where people can go to separate fact from fiction. (Getty Images) We 'celebrated' April Fools last week, pranking, getting pranked or observing from a safe distance. I once wrote an April Fools column that ended up passed around on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature, prompted an angry call from the head of the Nebraska School Administrators Association and caused four subscribers to the Grand Island Independent to cancel their subscriptions. Geesh, who knew? I retired from the prankster game after that folderol. Few, however, know that April 2, the day after our annual descent into tomfoolery is known as International Fact-Checking Day. The brainchild of the International Fact-Checking Network, which supports more than 170 fact-checking organizations, International Fact-Checking Day is held each year to remind us of the critical nature of getting the facts right, supporting honest public discourse, invalidating myths and underscoring accountability in journalism. Fact-checking has become a life preserver in today's ocean of disinformation where we often find ourselves treading water to stay informed and afloat. In the modern maze one must navigate to find and embrace the truth, one place remains a bulwark against the propagandists: the library. But now perhaps, librarians may be hobbled in their work. Among the president's recent barrage of executive orders (109 as of April 1, including going after of all places, the Smithsonian) is the gutting of the small agency that supports American libraries and museums. The entire staff at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is on paid administrative leave, which may disproportionately affect small rural libraries and museums. Nebraska has benefited from the IMLS. In an interview with The Conversation, Devon Akron, Director of the MSU Museum at Michigan State University said that in 2019 the IMLS awarded funds to libraries in Nebraska to support economic development in 30 rural communities. 'The project created rotating 'innovation studios' in local libraries and provided residents with tools, instructional materials and programming to foster entrepreneurship and creativity. The IMLS supports libraries of all types — public, academic, school and research … It is the only federal agency dedicated to sustaining the entire museum and library ecosystem in the United States.' The American Library Association said the executive order 'would decimate services such as early literacy development and reading programs, high-speed internet access, employment assistance, homework and research resources and accessible reading materials.' Its own internal research indicated that '89 percent of voters and 92 percent of parents believe local public libraries have an important role to play in communities.' The Trump administration said the cuts would 'strengthen IMLS's ability to serve the American people with integrity and purpose. President Trump was given a clear mandate by the American people, and his executive order delivers on that by reducing federal bureaucracy. This restructure is a necessary step to fulfill that order and ensure hard-earned tax dollars are not diverted to discriminatory DEI initiatives or divisive, anti-American programming in our cultural institutions.' Mandate? At 49.81 percent of the vote? Seriously? And again with the DEI? What exactly was the 'anti-Americanism' or 'discrimination' or any other divisive behavior? Libraries and museums are by design filled with diversity in ideas, culture and art. They are at their best when they provide the truth, fire our imaginations, build communities and remain a repository of exploration and wonder for all ages, whether through a book, a computer screen, a class or the myriad of programs you can find. Full disclosure: I am a lifelong fan of libraries, starting with the Carnegie Library in Grand Island where I checked out my first book as a little guy and where I loved spending time among the stacks of titles, the quiet like a friend, the musty smell of something old and important. I often spent time at the Fairfax Branch of the Los Angeles City Library during my decade in the City of Angels, browsing, reading and writing. And when I moved to Lincoln last fall, my first stop — before a new driver's license or a utility account or a new dentist — was the library near my home for a new card. My own biases aside, I've yet to see how cutting a small agency that supports libraries and museums could benefit Americans. By the way, last Friday was National Tell a Lie Day, a fitting bookend to the week. But if you want to be sure your friend or coworker or state senator or congressman or president is telling the truth, I suppose you have a few options: Google, Facebook, TikTok, etc. Or the one you can count on: a library.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact-checking director warns of 'crisis' as Meta, Trump's DOGE cuts threaten their 'honorable, patriotic' work
Fact-checkers are facing severe challenges and political pressure while doing their "honorable" and "patriotic" work, one director warned. On Wednesday, International Fact-Checking Network Director Angie Drobnic Holan penned an op-ed for Poynter to mark "International Fact-Checking Day." Though the day has been a time of celebration for her in the past, she wrote that the community has already faced several major blows in 2025, threatening not just the profession but society as well. Holan pointed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing in January that the company would be ending its fact-checking system across Facebook, Meta and Instagram platforms. Politifact Executive Rips Meta's Zuckerberg For Announcing The End Of Fact-checking On His Platforms "Not everyone loves fact-checking, and there are powerful political forces that would simply like it to go away," Holan wrote. "This is indeed a crisis for fact-checkers, but it's even worse for the general public. Disinformation hurts people. It has real-world consequences." She cited President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as another example. Read On The Fox News App Holan said, "The public funding that Elon Musk is trashing was another factor in the growth of fact-checking; groups like USAID thought that funding fact-checking overseas would empower democracy and accountable government." "I remember an international development officer telling me that fact-checking encouraged fact-based public debate on important public issues and therefore encouraged stable societies," she recalled. Trump Says Meta Has 'Come A Long Way' After Zuckerberg Ends Fact-checking On Platforms Holan attributed attacks on fact-checking to its effectiveness. "Fact-checking holds the line on reality for history's sake. It builds evidence-based records that can withstand political pressures," she wrote. "Politicians who want to create their own realities are fighting hard against fact-checking, and they're strong-arming tech companies and social media platforms into helping them." Holan called on fact-checkers to defend their "truth-seeking" in the face of these challenges. "If we want a society that respects truth, now is our time to fight for it," Holan concluded. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Liberal commentators have attacked Meta's decision to pull fact-checkers, claiming that it was Zuckerberg capitulating to Trump ahead of his inauguration. Some even called the decision "dangerous."Original article source: Fact-checking director warns of 'crisis' as Meta, Trump's DOGE cuts threaten their 'honorable, patriotic' work
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Fact-checking director warns of 'crisis' as Meta, Trump's DOGE cuts threaten their 'honorable, patriotic' work
Fact-checkers are facing severe challenges and political pressure while doing their "honorable" and "patriotic" work, one director warned. On Wednesday, International Fact-Checking Network Director Angie Drobnic Holan penned an op-ed for Poynter to mark "International Fact-Checking Day." Though the day has been a time of celebration for her in the past, she wrote that the community has already faced several major blows in 2025, threatening not just the profession but society as well. Holan pointed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing in January that the company would be ending its fact-checking system across Facebook, Meta and Instagram platforms. "Not everyone loves fact-checking, and there are powerful political forces that would simply like it to go away," Holan wrote. "This is indeed a crisis for fact-checkers, but it's even worse for the general public. Disinformation hurts people. It has real-world consequences." She cited President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as another example. Holan said, "The public funding that Elon Musk is trashing was another factor in the growth of fact-checking; groups like USAID thought that funding fact-checking overseas would empower democracy and accountable government." "I remember an international development officer telling me that fact-checking encouraged fact-based public debate on important public issues and therefore encouraged stable societies," she recalled. Holan attributed attacks on fact-checking to its effectiveness. "Fact-checking holds the line on reality for history's sake. It builds evidence-based records that can withstand political pressures," she wrote. "Politicians who want to create their own realities are fighting hard against fact-checking, and they're strong-arming tech companies and social media platforms into helping them." Holan called on fact-checkers to defend their "truth-seeking" in the face of these challenges. "If we want a society that respects truth, now is our time to fight for it," Holan concluded. Liberal commentators have attacked Meta's decision to pull fact-checkers, claiming that it was Zuckerberg capitulating to Trump ahead of his inauguration. Some even called the decision "dangerous."
Associated Press
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Celebrating fact-checking around the globe
It's International Fact-Checking Day, an event to highlight the work of fact-checkers around the world. In a message marking the day, Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the the International Fact-Checking Network, noted the recent challenges faced by fact-checkers, including a loss of funding and attacks on fact-checkers and their organizations. 'This is indeed a crisis for fact-checkers, but it's even worse for the general public,' Holan said Wednesday. 'Disinformation hurts people. It has real-world consequences. Without fact-checking, more grandparents will fall victim to financial scams. Adults will refuse to vaccinate children against proven killers like measles. Teens will read faked reports of current events with no way to tell them apart from the real thing.' The IFCN launched in 2015, started the event in 2016 and has more than 170 members around the world. Each signatory has been vetted and approved by independent assessors. They are required to show a commitment to nonpartisanship and transparency, about both sources and funding. AP Fact Check is a member of the IFCN, a unit of the Poynter Institute. Getting the facts right has been core to AP's mission since our founding in 1846. When a public figure says something questionable, it is our job to investigate it and offer the facts. It appears the AP's first stand-alone political fact check was written Nov. 9, 1993, around a debate between Vice President Al Gore and businessman Ross Perot on the merits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, often referred to as NAFTA. From there it has grown from fact-checking politicians' speech to checking for false and misleading information that gains widespread traction online. You can find those stories here. We also do live fact-checking around events like presidential addresses, political debates and campaign events. As with all AP staff, AP fact checkers must adhere to the company's Statement of News Values, which states: 'AP employees must avoid behavior or activities — political, social or financial — that create a conflict of interest or compromise our ability to report the news fairly and accurately, uninfluenced by any person or action.'
