Facebook Confesses in Court That ‘Fact Checks’ Are ‘Protected Opinion’
By Movieguide® Staff
In a recent court battle between Facebook, now called Meta, and TV personality John Stossel, the big tech company confessed that its “fact checks” are mere opinions.
Following the Capitol Hill riots on Jan. 6, Facebook took extensive measures to “fact check” information, claiming that they were protecting users from “fake news” and “misinformation” that led to the riots in the first place.
However, their policies heavily targeted conservatives and Christians, even going as far as to ban accounts they disagreed with, like former President Donald Trump.
However, Stossel took action after he sued Meta for defamation after the company added “fact check” labels on several of the libertarian’s videos about climate change.
Facebook’s court filing reveals that the fact check labels are actually “protected opinion.”
“Beyond this threshold Section 230 problem, the complaint also fails to state a claim for defamation. For one, Stossel fails to plead facts establishing that Meta acted with actual malice— which, as a public figure, he must,” the document reads. “For another, Stossel’s claims focus on the fact-check articles written by Climate Feedback, not the labels affixed through the Facebook platform. The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion.”
“Even if Stossel could attribute Climate Feedback’s separate webpages to Meta, the challenged statements on those pages are likewise neither false nor defamatory. Any of these failures would doom Stossel’s complaint, but the combination makes any amendment futile,” it continued.
Breitbart reported:
Facebook uses this system to distance itself from responsibility from any fact-checks, by arguing that the decisions are made by third-parties rather than the company itself.
However, the company still acts on those decisions by affixing labels to posts that have been “fact checked,” and suppressing their reach on the platform.
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, who has experienced the company’s overreach first-hand, wondered whether the new information revealed in court could mean that banned accounts be re-established by the company.
“So is the next step to restore the accounts of all the conservatives they’ve banned?” Dillon responded to the court case.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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