Facebook signs up AAP FactCheck in NZ
Facebook has enlisted Australian Associated Press (AAP) to help fight mis-truths in the run-up to the 2020 New Zealand election.
The social media giant already works with AAP in Australia, and on Monday announced an extension to its fact-checking partnership to cover New Zealand and the Pacific.
"Tackling the virality of misinformation online is an ever-evolving problem and we can't do it alone," Facebook's Australia Policy Director Mia Garlick said.
The partnership will also cover Facebook-owned image-sharing platform Instagram.
Facebook has been heavily criticised for its previous unwillingness to censor incorrect assertions from politicians or political organisations.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said last year that he "didn't think a private company should be censoring politicians or news".
Ms Garlick said Facebook wanted to "strike a balance between enabling New Zealanders to express themselves and promoting a trusted environment".
Under the partnership with AAP, the newswire will review content shared by politicians rather than their own statements.
Inaccurate posts will be labelled as "false information", with links available to the full fact-check for interested users.
In addition to its fact-checking political claims ahead of the election - due on September 19 - AAP will also target bogus coronavirus claims, and other head-scratchers from New Zealand and the Pacific.
"We are removing posts related to COVID-19 that discourage treatment or make false claims about the availability of health resources or the location and severity of the outbreak," Ms Garlick said.
Earlier this month, Australian Associated Press announced it was ceasing operations after losing the backing of key stakeholders Nine and News Corp.
However, the 85-year-old newswire has attracted interest from new investors, prompting a pause on the company's wind-down.
If the company does not continue, the fact-checking component will be headed by a new company headed by AAP chief executive Bruce Davidson.
