Snopes Exits Facebook Fact-Checking Program as AP Renegotiates Role
Snopes pulls out of Facebook's fact-checking initiative, citing inefficient tools and a lack of meaningful engagement. The Associated Press is simultaneously renegotiating its own position within the partnership.
Snopes officially ends its partnership with Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program, a collaboration that begins in 2016. The fact-checking organization declines to renew its annual contract, stating that the partnership does not work well for the publication. The Associated Press is also currently in negotiations regarding its continued involvement in the program.
Founder David Mikkelson rejects claims that Facebook interferes with Snopes' editorial independence, but he criticizes the social network for a lack of engagement. He describes the assigned work as rudimentary data entry and points out that the provided tools severely limit the number of articles checkers can evaluate. Furthermore, Snopes leadership expresses frustration over Facebook's failure to communicate the actual impact and effectiveness of the fact-checking efforts.
Snopes VP of Operations Danny Green highlights that the manual, closed system makes it impossible to keep pace with the volume of misinformation. He argues that the current setup prioritizes Facebook's convenience over creating a practical workflow for publishers, insisting that Facebook needs to build an API. This operational breakdown ultimately prompts Snopes to step back and reevaluate the costs of providing third-party fact-checking services.