AAP, RMIT brace for impact as Meta axes US fact-checking
Meta's deals with Australian fact-checkers remain safe — for now. However, with plans to expand the move to other markets, the agreements could be at risk.
Meta will not end its third-party fact-checking arrangements in Australia for now, despite a sudden policy reversal in the United States, where the company’s new global policy boss announced the program’s termination overnight.
The announcement follows the appointment of Meta’s new global policy chief, Joel Kaplan, a former Bush administration adviser, who replaced former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
In Australia, Meta maintains fact-checking partnerships with the Australian Associated Press (AAP), RMIT University, and the global newswire Agence France-Presse (AFP) to monitor content across Facebook and Instagram.
According to people familiar with the agreements, Meta’s partnership with AAP is currently set to run until the end of 2025. The company’s agreement with RMIT, meanwhile, is also expected to run through the remainder of the year.
