We’ll kick this story off by setting the Peak Irony stage with a reminder that the USA Today is among the go-to media outlets for social media platforms when it comes to rooting out misinformation online:
USA TODAY announced today that it is joining Facebook’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program. As a program partner, USA TODAY, along with other third-party fact-checkers certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network, will partner to independently review, rate and verify news content on Facebook and Instagram to help prevent the spread of false information.
“As a media organization with unparalleled local-to-national reach, we take our commitment to providing people with truthful information very seriously, and fact-checking is integral to the journalism being done by USA TODAY and in Gannett newsrooms across the country” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, Gannett’s news leader and Publisher of USA TODAY. “We also recognize that the distribution of false information on social media is a concerning issue that warrants attention in today’s world, so joining Facebook’s fact-checking program to identify misinformation felt like a natural step for us. We are proud to partner with Facebook on a program with such an important mission.”
With that in mind, a USA Today correspondent shared a year-old story about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and said it should be getting more media attention:
This seems like it should be getting more media coverage:
DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state https://t.co/dtH8HRxKYZ
— Josh Meyer (@JoshMeyerDC) July 6, 2022
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The USA Today journo was reminded that Politifact dealt with that one over a year ago, but the narrative matters more than the facts anymore. The above reporter has the same journalistic standards as Stephen King:
You absolute moron. https://t.co/ctYd4RF9U7
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 6, 2022
Eventually it was acknowledged that the DeSantis story had been debunked, but it’s the fault of Salon for not having a correction/retraction:
Didn't know this was debunked (or a year old), or I wouldn't have suggested more reporting needed on it, folks. But thanks for the fan mail! Maybe you should save it for @Salon for not correcting or clarifying it if it's actually incorrect! https://t.co/OjHTBzO6ji
— Josh Meyer (@JoshMeyerDC) July 6, 2022
Anyone who shares any Salon story assuming it’s completely factual should not be allowed to call themselves “journalists.”
"Hey, I didn't do my research and spread disinformation that matched my biases but snark snark snark snark snark…" https://t.co/haZIpQHDsy
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) July 6, 2022
A “disinformation reporter“ can’t be bothered to do basic journalistic checks when a story that bashes the likely Republican nominee for 2024 comes across his feed. Just incredible work Josh. https://t.co/dMsWGcdyqY
— Amy Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) July 6, 2022
And yet the media remains baffled as to why trust in “journalism” has gone completely down the toilet.
So, essentially, it is @Salon's fault the homework you copied was incorrect. https://t.co/CRyTXmOIAI
— Bohemio of the Reeeeing Twenties (@El__Bohemio) July 6, 2022
'I didn't know it wasn't true.' https://t.co/bMkV9CcWoT pic.twitter.com/LL7eo19omQ
— Chad Felix Greene 🇺🇲 (@chadfelixg) July 6, 2022
The fact that the correspondent works for one of the go-to spotters of misinformation for social media outlets makes it even richer.
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