We're committed to fighting the spread of false news on Facebook. In certain countries, we work with third-party fact-checkers who are certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network to help identify and review false news.

Q: HOW DO WE REDUCE THE DISTRIBUTION OF FALSE NEWS?

• Identifying false news: we identify news that may be false using signs like feedback from people on Facebook. Fact-checkers may also identify stories to review on their own.
• Reviewing content: fact-checkers will review content, check their facts, and rate their accuracy.
• Showing false content lower in News Feed: if a fact-checker rates content as false, it will appear lower in News Feed. This significantly reduces the number of people who see it.
• Taking action against repeat offenders: Pages and websites that repeatedly share false news will have some restrictions, including having their distribution reduced. They may also have their ability to monetize and advertise removed, and their ability to register as a news Page removed.

Learn more about fact-checking on Facebook and see our tips to spot false news. Continue reading for FAQs that are relevant to publishers.

Q: WHO ARE FACEBOOK'S THIRD-PARTY FACT-CHECKING PARTNERS?

A: We work with many third-party fact-checkers certified through a non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network. See table below.

Q: WHAT CONTENT IS ELIGIBLE FOR FACT-CHECKING?

A: Fact-checkers can review and rate public, newsworthy Facebook posts with articles, photos, or videos.

Q: WHAT ARE THE RATING OPTIONS FOR THIRD-PARTY FACT-CHECKERS?

A: For each piece of content up for review, the third-party fact-checker is asked: “How accurate is this story? Provide your rating below.” Facebook's third-party fact-checker product provides 9 rating options:

1. False: The primary claim(s) of the content are factually inaccurate. This generally corresponds to “false” or “mostly false” ratings on fact-checkers' sites.
2. Mixture: The claim(s) of the content are a mix of accurate and inaccurate, or the primary claim is misleading or incomplete.
3. False Headline: The primary claim(s) of the article body content are true, but the primary claim within the headline is factually inaccurate.
4. True: The primary claim(s) of the content are factually accurate. This generally corresponds to “true” or “mostly true” ratings on fact-checkers' sites.
5. Not eligible: The content contains a claim that is not verifiable, was true at the time of writing, or from a website or Page with the primary purpose of expressing the opinion or agenda of a political figure.
6. Satire: The content is posted by a Page or domain that is a known satire publication, or a reasonable person would understand the content to be irony or humor with a social message. It still may benefit from additional context.
7. Opinion: The content expresses a personal opinion, advocates a point of view (e.g., on a social or political issue), or is self-promotional. This includes, but is not limited to, content shared from a website or Page with the main purpose of expressing the opinions or agendas of public figures, think tanks, NGOs, and businesses.
8. Prank generator: Websites that allow users to create their own “prank” news stories to share on social media sites.
9. Not rated: This is the default state before fact-checkers have fact-checked content or if the URL is broken. Leaving it in this state (or returning to this rating from another rating) means that we should take no action based on your rating.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS IF CONTENT I CREATED OR SHARED IS RATED “FALSE”, “MIXTURE” or "FALSE HEADLINE" BY A FACT-CHECKER?

A. That content's distribution is reduced. It will appear lower in News Feed, and will be accompanied by Related Articles from fact-checkers. If people try to share the content, they will be notified of the additional reporting. They will also be notified if content they have shared in the past has since been rated by a fact-checker.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I REPEATEDLY SHARE CONTENT THAT IS RATED “FALSE”?

A: In order to more effectively fight false news, we also take action against Pages and domains that share, and domains that repeatedly publish content which is rated “False.” Such Pages and domains will have some restrictions, including seeing their distribution reduced as the number of offenses increases. Their ability to monetize and advertise will be removed after repeated offenses. If we identify highly similar domains that have been created to avoid restrictions on an existing one, we'll also take action against these.

Pages and websites that repeatedly publish or share false news will also lose their ability to register as a news Page on Facebook. People will also be able to see that a Page has a history of sharing false news in the context button for that Page. If a registered news Page repeatedly shares false news, its news Page registration will be revoked.

Deleting the false content won't lead to restoration; however, over time, Pages and domains can restore their distribution and ability to monetize and advertise if they stop sharing false news.

Q: IF A PAGE ADMIN SHARES “FALSE” CONTENT THAT IT DID NOT CREATE, CAN IT PURSUE A CORRECTION, OR DISPUTE WITH RESPECT TO THAT CONTENT?

A: Page admins are responsible for the content they share with their audiences — even if that content isn't created by them. Page admins cannot pursue a correction or dispute. However, if the publisher that wrote the content successfully issues a correction or disputes the rating, the Page's strike will be lifted.

Note that simply deleting a post is not sufficient to eliminate the strike against the Page or domain.

Over time, Pages and domains can restore their distribution and abilities to monetize and advertise if they stop sharing false news.

Q: HOW DO PUBLISHERS ISSUE A CORRECTION FOR, OR DISPUTE A RATING OF, CONTENT THEY CREATED?

A: Publishers may reach out directly to the third-party fact-checking organizations if (1) they have corrected the rated content, or if (2) they believe the fact-checker's rating is inaccurate.

1. Corrections: To issue a correction, the publisher must correct the false content and clearly state that a correction was made. Please do not delete the original post*, as this will hinder the fact-checker’s ability to review your correction.
1. For corrections to URLs, please ensure the relevant information has been corrected on both your website and the relevant Facebook post (including headline). Please include this Facebook post URL in your email to the relevant fact-checking organization.
2. For corrections to image or video posts, please update the post text to correct the false content and clearly state that a correction was made. You may also link to an additional post that includes an updated, accurate version of the image or video, or to a fact-check article.
2. Disputes: To dispute a rating, the publisher must clearly indicate why the original rating was inaccurate.

If a rating is successfully corrected or disputed, the demotion on the content will be lifted and the strike against the Page or domain will be removed. It may take a few days to see the distribution for the Page or domain recover. Additionally, any recovery will be affected by other false news strikes and related interventions (like demotions for clickbait).

Please note:

• Corrections and disputes are processed at the fact-checker's discretion. Fact-checkers are asked to respond to requests in a reasonable time period — ideally one business day for a simple correction, and up to a few business days for more complex disputes.
• For corrections, please ensure the relevant information has been corrected on both your website and the relevant Facebook post (including image and headline). Please include this Facebook post URL in your email to the relevant fact-checking organization.
• Publishers must submit their correction or dispute within one week of receiving a “False,” “Mixture,” or “False Headline” rating notification. We can’t guarantee that appeals made after this one-week window will be processed by our fact-checking partners.
• If your content is rated by multiple organizations, you may need to contact each fact-checker. But note that if your content has been marked “True” by a fact-checker, that rating supersedes a “Mixture” or “False” rating given by another fact-checker.
• Abuse of the corrections and disputes process will be penalized.

Q: WHAT IS FACEBOOK'S INDEX OF NEWS PAGES?

A. The news Page index is a foundational step to help us identify Facebook pages that primarily publish news content on the platform.

Any Facebook Page that primarily creates journalism should be registered as a news Page on Facebook.

Registered Pages may be eligible for products and services specifically designed for news publishers. Other benefits will evolve over time and registering news Pages will allow us to understand the full breadth and needs of the news ecosystem on Facebook.

Facebook reserves the right to modify, suspend, terminate access to or discontinue the availability of this process at any time. To ensure the best experiences for people and publishers, we may modify or make exceptions to these guidelines as necessary. Inclusion in the news Page index is based on these guidelines, and does not constitute an endorsement by Facebook of the views espoused by included Pages.