January
In early 2025, Meta ended its third-party fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram. The decision came quietly but sent shockwaves through the fact-checking community, weakening a defense against misinformation on major platforms. DetectFakeNews.com covered the implications, including the risk of unchecked false narratives gaining traction during a pivotal political year. Read Article
February
In February, state legislatures accelerated efforts to remove books from public schools and libraries. Ostensibly framed as efforts to protect children, many of these bans targeted works addressing race, gender, and history. DetectFakeNews.com documented how misinformation was used to justify removals—often mischaracterizing the content of targeted books to provoke outrage. Read Article
March
Congressional scrutiny of federally funded diversity initiatives escalated in March. Programs designed to expand access to STEM for underrepresented groups, including misinformation research, were called into question. DetectFakeNews.com traced how political narratives fueled by online disinformation helped justify these rollbacks.
Meanwhile, viral claims that Canada was “cutting ties” with the U.S. in response to Trump’s policies spread widely, despite no factual basis. Our reporting debunked these posts and examined how easily parody accounts can spark diplomatic confusion when their content is decontextualized.
April
April brought the most tangible consequences yet: the National Science Foundation confirmed the termination of multiple research grants related to misinformation and DEI. DetectFakeNews.com reported on the criteria change, which excluded proposals focusing on geographic, institutional, and socioeconomic diversity. Simultaneously, the #HandsOff protests emerged, part digital movement, part misinformation storm. While some real demonstrations took place, much of the online content was unverifiable or AI-generated. Our investigation showed how quickly legitimate unrest can be co-opted by misleading accounts. Read Article
