29/5/2020 Zuckerberg: Facebook, Twitter should not fact-check political speech

Mark Zuckerberg says social networks should not be fact-

checking political speech
P U B L I S H E D T H U , M AY 2 8 2 0 2 0 7 : 0 5 A M E D T U P D AT E D T H U , M AY 2 8 2 0 2 0 8 : 2 8 A M E D T

Salvador Rodriguez
@SAL19

KEY POINTS
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told CNBC he does not think social networks
should be fact-checking what politicians post.

“Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people
should be able to see what politicians say,” Zuckerberg said in an interview.

The company, however, does have lines that no one, including politicians, is
allowed to cross, Zuckerberg said.

VIDEO 04:54

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Social networks should not fact-check politicians

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/28/zuckerberg-facebook-twitter-should-not-fact-check-political-speech.html 1/2
29/5/2020 Zuckerberg: Facebook, Twitter should not fact-check political speech

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told CNBC he does not think social networks
should be fact-checking what politicians post.

Zuckerberg’s comment came after “Squawk Box” co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked
him for thoughts on Twitter’s decision to start fact-checking the tweets of
President Donald Trump.

Twitter’s move came on Tuesday after Trump tweeted that mail-in ballots would be
“substantially fraudulent.” Earlier Tuesday, Twitter declined to censor or warn users
after Trump tweeted baseless claims that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough should be
investigated for the death of his former staffer.

“I don’t think that Facebook or internet platforms in general should be arbiters of

truth,” Zuckerberg told Sorkin in an interview that aired Thursday morning. “Political
speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people should be able
to see what politicians say.”

Although Facebook does use independent fact-checkers who review content on its
social networks, the point of the fact-checkers is to “really catch the worst of the
worst stuff,” Zuckerberg said.

“The point of that program isn’t to try to parse words on is something slightly true or
false,” he said. “In terms of political speech, again, I think you want to give broad
deference to the political process and political speech.”

Facebook announced in October that it would allow politicians to run ads on the
social network, even if they include misinformation.

The company, however, does have lines that no one, including politicians, is allowed
to cross, Zuckerberg said. No one is allowed to use Facebook to cause violence or
harm themselves, or to post misinformation that could lead to voter suppression,
Zuckerberg said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/28/zuckerberg-facebook-twitter-should-not-fact-check-political-speech.html 2/2