Accurate information ‘under greater threat than ever’ from misinformation

Getting accurate information online is “under greater threat than ever before” and government, regulators and social media firms need to do more in response, fact-checking charity Full Fact has said.

In its annual report, the charity accused the US government of making the term misinformation “politically charged” by suggesting fact-checking is restricting debate and free speech.

The organisation also criticised Meta’s decision to end its use of third-party fact-checkers in the US, with founder Mark Zuckerberg claiming fact-checkers are “politically biased” and impeding free speech – a decision seen by many as an attempt to earn favour with Donald Trump’s White House.

Full Fact said it is concerned by large online platforms “walking away” from measures to make online spaces safer, and called on the UK Government and online safety regulator Ofcom to “do more to hold these companies to account, by law if necessary”.

Trump

In its report, the organisation urged the Government to “resist pressure” from the Trump administration around free speech and misinformation policy, adding that it should strengthen the Online Safety Act to better counter misleading content and improve media literacy for platforms to help them spot it.

“Full Fact’s 2025 report is being published at a moment of crisis for anyone who cares about verifiable facts – a time of global upheaval, as the second Trump administration rewrites the rules of American engagement and western political norms,” the report said.

“Fact-checking organisations around the world – which seek to amplify accurate information amidst a deluge of false, misleading or artificially generated junk – are under pressure as never before. Many may not survive.”

It added it is time to “stand up for our values” and that, although it is an impartial charity, it will “not be impartial about the proposition that facts matter”, and the ability to “identify, verify, and think critically about information is essential to any meaningful public debate in the UK”.

The charity said: “Yet today, the United States is charting a different course.

“Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance came to Europe to talk about the enemy within. He described misinformation as an ugly Soviet-era word, and suggested anyone using it wanted to tell others what to think.

“As we set out at the time, we strongly disagree. Fact-checking doesn’t restrict debate; it strengthens it by grounding it in truth.

“It’s not censorship. It’s more speech, not less – and by that standard, the vice president should approve.”

Defence spending

Full Fact also compared the need to increase focus on combating misinformation to the recent debate around UK defence spending and the need to increase it.

“But defence is not just about bullets and tanks; it’s also about bots and troll farms,” the charity said.

“We are in a hybrid war, with attacks coming from some hitherto unexpected places, and if we want to protect what we value in our society we need to fight on all fronts.

“Access to accurate information forms the basis of the robust political debates we need to have. It is not a luxury, it is the foundation of our democracy.”

Chris Morris, the charity’s chief executive, said: “We cannot let large online platforms which wield so much influence over our daily lives walk away from commitments to make our online world a safer place.

“Government and regulators must hold them to account, to the full extent of the law. This is no time for half-measures.

“In a critical year with the AI revolution gathering pace, the expertise of professional and impartial fact-checking organisations is not part of the problem. It is part of the solution.”

A spokesman for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said: “We are committed to protecting people online while upholding freedom of expression, to ensure the internet does not serve as a haven for those looking to spread harm, both online and offline.

“The Online Safety Act tackles illegal online content, which puts responsibility on platforms of all sizes to tackle disinformation intended to sow division in the UK, as well as content that is harmful to children.”