Other researchers, like University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism professor Lucas Graves have cited research suggesting political figures themselves are often significant drivers of potentially misleading information on platforms that can create a “climate of doubt.”
Advertisement
“It’s not just a question of amplification,” Graves said in an interview with Poynter. “It’s the question of making it relevant to new political contexts helping to translate it for a given moment.”
The dissents aren’t limited to external sources either. Numerous Facebook employees writing in internal company documents viewed by Gizmodo as part of The Facebook Papers show repeated questioning of the company’s complex decision-making regarding fact-checking. That disagreement applies to fact-checking decisions around political figures but also numerous other areas ranging from covid-19 half truths to climate change misinformation.
Advertisement
Update, 12:37: Added response from Meta.