Fact-checking

Fact-checking, in its original sense, is the practice of verifying factual claims before publication — a standard editorial function at newspapers and magazines. On social media, it has become something different: a system of labels, warnings, and content restrictions applied to posts that a platform's partners deem inaccurate — a system that critics argue functions as viewpoint-based censorship dressed up in epistemic language.

What it means

Meta's third-party fact-checking program, Twitter's "Community Notes" (formerly Birdwatch), and similar systems were introduced as neutral accuracy tools. Critics have documented a consistent pattern: claims from liberal sources are fact-checked at lower rates than equivalent claims from conservative sources; fact-checkers themselves have demonstrable political affiliations; and labels are applied to matters of opinion and scientific uncertainty, not just verifiable falsehoods.

The 2020 suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story — which major platforms labeled "misinformation" and blocked from being shared before the 2020 election, and which was later confirmed accurate — became the most cited example of fact-checking used as a censorship tool.

How it works on Gab

Gab does not use third-party fact-checkers or apply "misinformation" labels. If a claim is false, Gab users are free to say so in their posts, comments, and quote posts. The platform's position is that users — and the open competition of ideas — are better equipped to identify false claims than a small group of politically affiliated organizations issuing binding verdicts.

Related terms

Fact-checking is the enforcement mechanism for "misinformation" labels. The contested label is disinformation. Both are forms of content moderation that critics argue amount to viewpoint discrimination.