‘Dangerous times’ ahead after Meta ends US fact-checking, says Nobel peace prize winner

MANILA: Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa warned on Wednesday of “extremely dangerous times ahead” in an interview with AFP after social media giant Meta ended its US fact-checking programme on Facebook and Instagram.

Ressa and the Rappler news site she co-founded have spent years fighting online disinformation while battling court cases filed under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte after critical reporting of his deadly drug war.

The veteran journalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 said Meta´s decision meant “extremely dangerous times ahead” for journalism, democracy and social media users.

“Mark Zuckerberg says it´s a free speech issue -- that´s completely wrong,” Ressa told AFP at Rappler´s newsroom in Manila.

Meta´s announcement on Tuesday was seen by analysts as an attempt by Zuckerberg to appease US President-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration this month.

Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of bias against him and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire once back in office.