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The Daily Show’s host-of-the-week Desi Lydic and The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon used their respective shows on Comedy Central and NBC on Wednesday to attack Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his decision to ditch the company’s relationship with fact-checking companies. As Lydic and Fallon tell it, if someone calls themselves a fact-checker, they must be an unbiased observer of the truth who simply tells it like it is, and Zuckerberg’s move will be devastating for those who believe in truth.

Lydic began by declaring, “But knowing how much Trump lies, it’s more important than ever for everyone to rededicate themselves to the pursuit of truth.”

After a clip of CNN’s John Berman reporting on the news, Lydic resumed, “Or that! Guess you could just live your truth. That’s right. Facebook is ending fact-checking, as Mark Zuckerberg announced, apparently while entering his Gen Z era.”

It is amazing that Lydic did not see the irony of lamenting the demise of Meta’s relationship with the fact-checking outlets while referencing the progressive idea of living “your truth.” As it was, Zuckerberg was then shown in a clip stating that “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech [jump cut] Fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.”

After some more jokes about Zuckerberg’s fashion sense, Lydic asserted that Zuckerberg was unwittingly insulting conservatives, “I got to say, though, saying, ‘We realized relying on facts was discriminating against our Republican users’ is kind of a big diss to conservatives. It’s like saying, ‘Sorry, our no skid mark policy was singling out Greg. All underwear stains are welcome.’”

In the real world, it is an admission that fact-checkers sometimes need to be fact-checked, and once you acknowledge that, it becomes untenable to have a group of gatekeepers who claim they get to determine what objective truth is and punish others for dissenting from that judgment.

Over at NBC, Fallon began, “Today, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will no longer fact-check posts on Facebook and Instagram, and users will now have to correct any false posts themselves. Unfortunately, I have no idea if that’s true ’cause I read it on Facebook. I don’t know.”

Echoing another Jimmy, Fallon reached for a poor analogy, “I’m a little concerned. I mean, this is like Chipotle announcing that it’s ending health inspections… That’s right, if you’re keeping track, fact-checking is gone from Facebook and Twitter. Right now Wikipedia is like, “How did we become the responsible one?” 

Fallon concluded by pretending to move onto other topics, “Well, guys, the country is still dealing with freezing temperatures as millions of Americans are getting slammed by an Arctic blast. Yeah, it’s brutal out there. Although according to Facebook, it’s 85 and sunny.”

Of course, that is the point. One does not need a Facebook fact-checking partner to tell them the weather when they can go look out their window, just like they don’t need to be told that Donald Trump isn’t dead, and if anyone does need to be told that, no fact-check from Facebook is going to convince them otherwise.

Here is a transcript for the January 7 shows:

Comedy Central The Daily Show

1/7/2025

11:12 PM ET

DESI LYIC: But knowing how much Trump lies, it’s more important than ever for everyone to rededicate themselves to the pursuit of truth.

JOHN BERMAN: Facebook announced it is getting rid of fact-checkers.

LYDIC: Or that! Guess you could just live your truth. That’s right. Facebook is ending fact-checking, as Mark Zuckerberg announced, apparently while entering his Gen Z era.

MARK ZUCKERBERG: The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech [jump cut] Fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.

LYDIC: Okay, first of all, is this just what Mark Zuckerberg looks like now? I guess someone got the Kendrick Lamar album for Hanukkah. What is going on here? This is the worst fashion a white guy has tried to pull off since, oh, I guess, two days ago. 

I got to say, though, saying, “We realized relying on facts was discriminating against our Republican users” is kind of a big diss to conservatives. It’s like saying, “Sorry, our no skid mark policy was singling out Greg. All underwear stains are welcome.”

***

NBC The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

1/7/2025

11:35 PM ET

JIMMY FALLON: Today, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will no longer fact-check posts on Facebook and Instagram, and users will now have to correct any false posts themselves. Unfortunately, I have no idea if that’s true ’cause I read it on Facebook. I don’t know. 

I’m a little concerned. I mean, this is like Chipotle announcing that it’s ending health inspections. You know what I’m saying? But it’s an exciting time at Meta. I mean, Facebook is turning into Twitter, and apparently, Mark Zuckerberg is turning into Jack Harlow. So, uh, nice look. 

That’s right, if you’re keeping track, fact-checking is gone from Facebook and Twitter. Right now Wikipedia is like, “How did we become the responsible one?” I mean, come on.  I’ll admit it’s not a bad idea for Instagram. I mean, it’s tough when someone posts a photo of their cute new baby and the message pops up saying, “Correction, this baby is uggo.” And you go — well, guys, the country is still dealing with freezing temperatures as millions of Americans are getting slammed by an Arctic blast. Yeah, it’s brutal out there. Although according to Facebook, it’s 85 and sunny.