New: Instagram is Reducing the Reach of Posts Debunked by Fact-Checkers

From Poynter:

In an expansion of Facebook’s partnership with fact-checking sites around the world, Instagram has started reducing the reach of false posts.

When one of Facebook’s fact-checking partners, of which there are now 52 in more than 30 countries, rates a link, image or video as false, its future reach in the News Feed is decreased and users are warned if they try to share it.

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Now, in a test, Facebook-owned Instagram is taking those fact checks and applying them to the same false photos and memes on its platform.

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For fact-checkers, expanding debunking work to Instagram is a promising move.

“Instagram is a place where a lot of people, particularly young people, get their news. And we know it’s a space where misinformation can live,” said Aaron Sharockman, executive director of (Poynter-owned) PolitiFact, in a message. “So it only makes sense that Facebook would expand its work with fact-checkers into this new space. It’s definitely a good step.”

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