United States President Joe Biden said this Friday (10) that Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with user-generated community notes is “really shameful”.
“The idea that, you know, a billionaire can buy something and say, ‘By the way, from now on, we’re not going to fact-check anything.’ And you know, when you have millions of people reading, going on the internet, reading this stuff… I think that’s really shameful,” Biden said.
The American president appeared in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Friday to release the latest jobs report and mark four years of continued job growth under his administration.
It was after this speech that the president answered questions from reporters about Meta’s decision to get rid of fact-checking, his post-presidency plans, new sanctions on Russia, possible pardons he might issue before his term ends, and the Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, among other topics.
As part of the question-and-answer session, Biden was asked about changes to Meta’s fact-checking process, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg shortly before President-elect Donald Trump took office.
The moderation changes mark a reversal in how Meta handles false and misleading claims on its platforms.
In 2016, the company launched an independent fact-checking program following allegations that it had failed to prevent foreign actors from leveraging its platforms to spread misinformation and sow discord among Americans.
In the years since, she has continued to fight the spread of controversial content on her platform, such as election misinformation, anti-vaccination stories, violence, and hate speech.
But now, Zuckerberg is following in the footsteps of fellow social media leader Elon Musk who, after acquiring X, then known as Twitter, in 2022, dismantled the company’s fact-checking teams and made user-generated context labels, called of “community notes,” the platform’s only method of correcting false claims.
“Fact checkers have been very politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they have created,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the new policy on Tuesday.
Decisions on pardons
Biden told reporters he is watching to see if Trump communicates whether he can “punish people” when he takes office before making any decisions about issuing additional pardons in his final days in office.
“It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump conveys over the last few days here about what he’s going to do,” the president said when asked what pardons and commutations he is considering.
“The idea that he would punish people for not adhering to what he thinks should be a policy related to their well-being is outrageous,” Biden said. “But there is still consideration from some people, but no decision.”
Asked if he would rule out a pardon for himself or his family, Biden appeared surprised, saying, “What would I forgive myself for?”
“No, I have no intention of forgiving myself for anything,” he added. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The president did not elaborate on who he is considering pardoning.
In an interview with USA Today last weekend, Biden said he had not made a decision on issuing preemptive pardons before leaving office, leaving the door open for an unprecedented move to protect some of his allies while he warned Trump against trying to “settle scores.”
THE CNN previously reported that senior White House officials, administration officials and prominent defense lawyers in Washington, D.C., have discussed potential preemptive pardons or legal assistance for individuals who may be targeted for prosecution by Trump after he takes office.
November dispute
Biden said Kamala “could have” and “would have” defeated Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“I think Kamala could have beaten Trump,” Biden said.
The president then stated that he was “confident she could win” the 2024 election at the time he made his decision to drop out of the race.
“When the party was worried about whether or not I could move, I thought, even if I thought I could win again, I thought it would be better to unify the party, and it was the greatest honor of my life to be president of the United States, but I didn’t I wanted to be someone who caused a party that wasn’t unified to lose an election, and that’s why I stepped aside, but I was confident that she could win,” Biden added.
Trump won the 2024 election, receiving 312 electoral votes, while Kamala received 226.
Asked whether Kamala should run again in 2028 for the Democratic nomination for president, Biden told reporters that is a decision for the vice president to make.
“I think it’s a decision she has to make,” Biden said. “I think she is competent to run again in four years, that would be a decision she should make.”
Post-presidency
A reporter asked whether Biden planned to remain involved in the political process after leaving office or whether he would follow the George W. Bush model of stepping back and staying out of current affairs.
“I’m not going to be out of sight or out of mind,” Biden responded.
This content was originally published in Biden criticizes Meta’s decision to end fact checking on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
