Meta unveils new community notes program; will not apply distribution penalties nor limit flow of information
EXCLUSIVE: Meta is launching its new community notes program next week to replace its biased, third-party fact-checking program. The company’s global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that content with community notes applied will not be limited in distribution to users nor have penalties imposed. Meta, in January, ended its fact-checking program and lifted restrictions on speech on the platform to “restore free expression” across Facebook, Instagram and Meta platforms. Meta said its content moderation practices had “gone too far.” META ENDS FACT-CHECKING PROGRAM AS ZUCKERBERG VOWS TO RESTORE FREE EXPRESSION ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM “We had a third-party, fact-checking program, which was well-intentioned at the beginning but proved to be really prone to partisan political bias and destroyed a lot of trust and credibility in the system,” Kaplan said. “We decided to replace that system, starting in the United States with a crowdsourced, community-based approach, which we announced in January.” Next week, Meta is opening the new community notes program for users to write and rate notes on content across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. “We’ve developed a waitlist that actually has a couple of hundred thousand people on it, a broad cross-section of Americans who use Facebook and Instagram who want to be able to add context to the content that they are seeing when they think it is misleading,” Kaplan said. “And the great thing about community notes is that, first of all, instead of a handful of so-called experts like the third-party fact-checkers, it’s our community, which is broad based, ideologically diverse people from across the political spectrum.” Meta will begin by gradually and randomly admitting people off the waitlist and will take time to test the writing and rating system before any notes are published. Meta will not decide what gets rated or what gets written but rather the contributors from the Facebook, Instagram and Threads communities, the company told Fox News Digital. Kaplan told Fox News Digital that Meta is borrowing the algorithm used by X, which the company has open-sourced from its system. META POLICY CHIEF SAYS DECISION TO END DEI ENSURES COMPANY HIRES ‘THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE’ “The algorithm only applies a community note when people who normally disagree agree that something is misleading,” Kaplan said. “And that’s the way that you ensure that the bias that crept into the third-party fact-checking system isn’t a part of this system.” Kaplan said all content is subject to community notes, except for advertisements. But contributors can submit notes on almost any other form of content, including posts by Meta, Meta executives, politicians and other public figures. “Another thing that it won’t do that the third-party fact-checking program did is it doesn’t apply any penalty,” Kaplan explained. “The third-party fact-checking program, in addition to the bias, had penalties attached to it, where if something was rated false, we would dramatically reduce its distribution,” Kaplan continued. “And that turned a program that was intended to be about providing additional information into one that was essentially a censorship tool.” Meta’s third-party fact-checking program was put in place after the 2016 election and had been used to “manage content” and misinformation on its platforms, largely due to “political pressure,” executives said, but they admitted the system had “gone too far.” “The community notes program is just about providing additional information and context so people can make their own decisions, but it doesn’t apply any distribution penalties or limit the flow of information through the algorithm,” Kaplan said. Under the third-party fact-checking program, fact-checked posts often had their distribution reduced across platforms. Meta said that will not be the case with posts that have community notes applied to them, and it will not affect who can see the content or how widely it can be shared. MARK ZUCKERBERG’S PHILANTHROPY ENDS DEI PROGRAMS, SOCIAL ADVOCACY EFFORTS Kaplan said Meta believes users “should see both the posts and then also the additional information to give them context about the post.” “We want to make sure that the full range of information is provided,” he said. The community notes will be limited to 500 characters and will be written by contributors in the Meta community notes program. “Individual members of the community will write and submit notes, and then other members of the community will get to say, ‘Yeah, that looks right to me,’ within the system,” he said. “And once the algorithm determines that it received a critical mass of support from people who usually disagree, that is the check on the bias.” “All the changes we made in January were in the service of returning to our roots of free expression, and the third-party fact-checking program has become an impediment to that,” Kaplan said. “A community-based system that empowers our users to just provide additional information that people find helpful, I think, is a really big improvement on voice and expression on the platform.” As for who can contribute community notes, Meta told Fox News Digital that contributors must be over 18 years old and have an account that is more than six months old and in good standing. The user must also have either a verified phone number or be enrolled in two-factor authentication. The community notes feature will be available in six languages commonly used in the United States to start, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Portuguese. Meta will expand to other languages down the line.
‘Never forgotten’: More military families could soon qualify for this special benefit
EXCLUSIVE: A new proposal would expand which military families will qualify for lifetime National Park passes. The “Benefits that Endure for Lifetimes of Service (BELO’S) Act” would apply to Gold Star families and service members who died from a “service-connected illnesses or service-related incident,” like a training accident while in the United States, serious illness or an injury. Currently, Gold Star families and veterans can obtain a free lifetime pass, as well as anybody with a “permanent disability” regardless of military status. BURGUM SAYS INTERIOR DEPARTMENT ‘COMPLETELY EMBRACING THE DOGE EFFORT’ The legislation is named after the late U.S. Army First Sergeant Marc Belo, who died from cancer related to his military service in May 2024. Belo worked closely alongside Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., the bill’s sponsor, including on a deployment in 2012. “I’m proud to introduce the BELOS Act, honoring my dear friend and fellow solider, First Sergeant Marc Belo,” Evans told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Marc was a giant— a true leader, role model, and the godfather of flying in our unit. When Marc passed away last year, he left a hole in the hearts of all who knew him. I’m proud to honor him by ensuring families of fallen heroes are never forgotten,” he added. ‘FULL COURT PRESS’: FRESHMAN GOP LAWMAKER REVEALS BLUEPRINT TO FLIP SCRIPT ON GREEN ENERGY MANDATES For the current edibility, the passes are offered as part of an effort with the National Parks Service and Operation Live Well, but the bill modifies the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act to go beyond just those who died in the usual “qualifying situation” that Gold Star families are determined by. AMERICAN FLAG HUNG UPSIDE DOWN IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK IN PROTEST OVER LAYOFFS The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., and has been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
ISRO undocks Spadex satellites, paves way for India’s lunar exploration
Union Minister Jitendra Singh extended his congratulations to the ISRO team after the “SPADEX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking” and said that the event was “heartening for every Indian!”
North-South divide deepens, language war intensifies, Tamil Nadu govt takes THIS drastic action, details here
The DMK has argued that the BJP-led Union government wants to ‘impose’ the north Indian language on Tamil Nadu through the implementation of the 3-language formula in the National Education Policy.
Federal judge orders Elon Musk, DOGE to reveal plans to downsize government, identify all employees
An Obama-appointed federal judge ordered Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reveal its plans to downsize the government and to identify all its employees, among other actions. The directives from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan come as 14 Democratic state attorneys general are suing President Donald Trump, Musk and DOGE, arguing that Musk is unconstitutionally wielding power, according to Politico. Chutkan gave Musk and DOGE three weeks to produce the information, which ultimately will help her decide whether to block DOGE’s operations altogether, it added. The ruling issued Wednesday requires Musk and DOGE to, among other directives: DOGE PROTESTERS RALLY OUTSIDE KEY DEPARTMENT AFTER EMPLOYEES ARE TOLD NOT TO REPORT TO WORK DOGE AND AGENCIES CANCEL 200,000 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARDS The directives also call for admissions that “Elon Musk has directed actions of DOGE personnel” and that “Elon Musk is not supervised by any Officer of the United States other than the President of the United States.” The White House did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. “The burden to Defendants is minimized by the narrow time period for responsive materials, the exclusion of electronic communications, explicitly exempting President Trump from the requests, extending Defendants’ time to respond, and denying Plaintiffs’ request to notice depositions,” Chutkan said in her decision. “Plantiffs’ Discovery Requests shall be limited to information and materials regarding agencies, employees, contracts, grants, federal funding, legal agreements, databases, or data management systems that involve or engage with Plaintiff States; including entities and institutions operated or funded by Plaintiff States,” she added.
Senate Republicans coin ‘Schumer shutdown’ ahead of critical vote on Trump spending bill
Republicans are ramping up pressure on Senate Democrats ahead of a vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill to keep the government open, even dubbing a potential funding lapse as a “Schumer shutdown.” “If they want to shut it down, it’s on them,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters. “That’ll be a Schumer shutdown.” Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., recently stressed this point in an op-ed for Fox News, writing, “If there is a shutdown, it will be driven by and directed by the Democrats.” CANADA EXPLOITING ‘LOOPHOLE’ HURTING US DAIRY FARMERS AMID TRUMP TARIFFS, SENATORS SAY Earlier in the week, House Republicans passed a short-term spending bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), which would keep spending levels the same as fiscal year 2024 until Oct. 1. If a spending bill is not passed by Friday, the government will enter into a partial shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the chamber floor on Wednesday and said, “Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR,” which he slammed for being a “partisan path” to funding the government. The resolution would notably keep spending levels as they were when former President Joe Biden was in office. Instead, Schumer said Senate Democrats were interested in passing a “clean” monthlong stopgap bill. FETTERMAN MAVERICK PERSONA DOESN’T TRANSLATE AS SENATOR HELPS BLOCK TRANS SPORTS BILL This was echoed by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who said Wednesday, “Those votes exist on a 30-day CR, without a doubt.” “If the Republicans would bring it to the floor,” he added. But Republicans have made it clear they want to move forward with the House-passed bill. “The thing that bugs me about this is, keep in mind, this same CR was voted for with these spending levels [in] September and December. So what’s the difference now?” Mullin said. “These same employees that they’ve been fighting for supposedly, now they’re going to yield literally all the authority to the White House because the White House is going to be able to deem them essential and non-essential,” he said. MEET SANDRA WHITEHOUSE, WHOSE HUSBAND’S VOTES FUNNELED MILLIONS INTO NGO THAT PAYS HER Mullin said Schumer refused to bring 11 of 12 appropriations bills to the Senate floor for votes in the last Congress, despite them having been advanced out of committee. The senator further faulted Democrats for not engaging in negotiations on a spending deal until the last minute. He said Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., only recently came to the table to discuss it with Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine. A spokesperson for Murray told Fox News Digital in a statement, “For months, Senator Murray has remained at the table ready to negotiate and pass bipartisan funding bills—and she stands ready to work with the Senate Republican majority to immediately pass a short-term stopgap to prevent a shutdown. In fact, she and her Democratic colleagues pressed to get government funding done in December—but Speaker Johnson chose to kick the can down the road and walk away from bipartisan talks.” A representative for Schumer did not provide comment in time for publication. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sounded off on the potential funding lapse, saying, “We all know the Democrats want a shutdown.” “The American people agree with reducing federal spending, getting this country back on the right track. And the Democrats are so opposed to it, they’re willing to push to a shutdown. It’s all on them,” she told reporters. GEORGIA REPUBLICANS DON’T RULE OUT SENATE BIDS AS POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR REMAINS UNDECIDED Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said in a statement, “Republicans are doing the right thing for the American people by making sure our government stays open.” However, “Democrats are sacrificing the good of hardworking Americans on the altar of their hatred for Donald Trump. They should reverse course and join Republicans in keeping the lights on in the federal government. Enough with the political games.” Votes on beginning the process to consider the stopgap bill are expected to occur on Thursday, depending on whether Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement to skip lengthy procedural votes that are routine for most votes.
‘How stupid can you become?’: BJP attacks Tamil Nadu govt as it drops rupee symbol from state budget
Tamil Nadu’s MK Stalin government has replaced the Rupee symbol ‘?’ for the Indian currency with the Tamil alphabet ‘Ru’ in state Budget logo amid the raging language row between the State and the Central government.
In Texas, private firms cash in on property tax late fees, piling debt onto struggling homeowners
Texans who fall behind on their property taxes face one of the most punitive systems in the nation, where private collection companies can tack up to 20% onto their bill.
These four Texas counties are among the fastest growing in the country
Texas’ population growth has slowed, but the state’s major urban areas are still adding hundreds of thousands of residents.
GOP lawmaker explains why he called trans Dem ‘Mr. McBride’: ‘I don’t have to participate in his fantasy’
After referring to Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware as “Mr. McBride” during a congressional hearing this week, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said he is not obligated to engage in McBride’s “fantasy.” While discussing the issue, Self referred to McBride – who identifies as a transgender woman – using male pronouns. “Well, Michael, I’m a retired Green Beret. I’m not even sure what all the fuss is about,” Self told conservative commentator Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire during an interview. GOP LAWMAKER CALLS TRANS DEM ‘MR. MCBRIDE,’ ABRUPTLY ENDS HEARING AFTER ULTIMATUM FROM ANOTHER DEM “I mean, he is allowed to live his life — in fact, I spent 25 years on active duty defending his right to live his life as he chooses. But I don’t have to participate in his fantasy,” Self said. Rep. Mary Miller, who referred to McBride as “the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride,” when recognizing the lawmaker for a floor speech last month, agreed with Self’s sentiments, declaring in a post on X, “Exactly! No one should be forced to go along with the Democrats’ delusions. Thank you, @RepKeithSelf, for your boldness.” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also expressed his support for Self’s position, tweeting, “#GoodMan.” HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER AS ‘THE GENTLEMAN … MR. MCBRIDE’ FOR FLOOR SPEECH McBride referred to Self as “Madam chair” during a hearing on Tuesday after Self, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Europe subcommittee, recognized McBride as “the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.” Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., halted the hearing over the issue, demanding that Self introduce McBride the “right way.” GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,’ BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “You will not continue” the hearing “with me unless you introduce a duly-elected representative the right way!” Keating declared. In response to the ultimatum, Self declared, “This hearing is adjourned.” “No matter how I’m treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress. It is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I simply want to serve and to try to make this world a better place,” McBride tweeted on Tuesday night.