A fact-checking firm staffed by CNN alums is facing disappointment after Meta, the parent company of Facebook, axed its partnership.

The fact-checking organization used by Facebook to moderate political content expressed its disappointment and disagreement with a move to revamp its fact-checking process in an effort to avoid bias, in an article.

"Lead Stories was taken aback and dismayed upon discovering through media reports and a press release that the Meta Third-Party Fact-Checking Partnership, which Lead Stories has been a part of since 2019, was coming to an end."

In recent years, Facebook has increasingly relied on Lead Stories, a fact-checking service founded by several former CNN employees, including Alan Duke and Ed Payne, to verify the accuracy of information shared on its platform.

Meta has announced that it is ending its fact-checking program and lifting restrictions on speech in order to "restore free expression" on Facebook, Instagram, and Meta platforms, acknowledging that its current content moderation practices have been too strict.

"In a video message on Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that after Trump's election in 2016, the legacy media constantly wrote about the threat of misinformation to democracy. Despite their efforts to address these concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth, fact-checkers have been too politically biased and have damaged more trust than they have created, particularly in the U.S."

""Is Mark Zuckerberg's accusation of political bias against the organizations in Meta's U.S. third-party fact checking program accurate?" Lead Stories questions before providing an explanation."

"The article notes that Meta imposed a requirement for partnership that included being a verified signatory of the IFCN's Code of Principles, which mandates a "commitment to non-partisanship and fairness." Despite this requirement, the article states that the partnership has been successful and no complaints about political bias have been received from Meta. However, the recent statement by Meta has left the partnership members surprised."

Meta announced that it will adopt a moderation system similar to Community Notes at X, which Lead Stories has criticized.

"Despite our experience and that of others, Community Notes on X are often slow to appear, sometimes inaccurate, and unlikely to appear on controversial posts due to a lack of agreement or consensus among users. However, the truth remains unchanged regardless of social media users' ability to reach agreement or consensus."

While fact-checkers are required to be transparent about their funding, methodology, and sources, Community Notes remains entirely non-transparent about its contributors, leaving readers unsure of their bias, allegiance, and expertise. There is no way for appeals or corrections to be made.

Schenk stated that fact-checking is crucial for verifying and sourcing information to help individuals make informed decisions about what to believe, and it is a vital component of free speech.

Duke stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Lead Stories intends to continue.

"Duke stated that although there will be a reduction in output due to lack of support from Meta, Lead Stories will continue. The company is global and most of its business is now outside the USA. The languages published other than English will be affected."

Conservatives on social media criticized Lead Stories for their article about Meta's change in policy regarding Facebook's fact-checkers, particularly their handling of key news stories such as the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop report.

"Ian Haworth, a British American conservative writer, stated that Lead Stories is the worst fact-checking company and expressed his happiness that they will soon go out of business."

Zuckerberg faced a strong rebuke from the executive director of Politifact, a fact-checking service used by Facebook, following Tuesday's announcement.

Aaron Sharockman stated on X following Zuckerberg's announcement that if Meta is upset about creating a tool to censor, it should examine its own actions.

Mark Zuckerberg's decision to remove independent journalists from Facebook's content moderation program in the United States is not about free speech or censorship, but rather a subtle move.

Zuckerberg's accusation of political bias was rejected by him, who argued that Meta's platforms, not the fact-checkers, were responsible for censoring posts.

Meta and Facebook, not fact-checkers, make the decision to remove or penalize a post or account, as stated by Sharockman.

In his Lead Stories post, Schenk expressed gratitude to the Meta team he has worked with over the years, despite being disappointed by the news. He emphasized that Lead Stories will continue its mission of fact-checking, stating, "Just because something is trending without a fact-checking label does not make it true."

Planet Chronicle Digital's Gabriel Hays and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.