I'd argue that such organizations fulfill a role in current society that is at least not insignificant for the powers that be.
Any ruling regime that has hegemonic control over public discourse has an evident interest in controlling and limiting the public dissemination of information because their control over society and its consensus depends on it. Its opponents and dissidents, on the other hand, are evidently interested in the opposite, and the simple social reality is that spreading and disseminating subversive and heretical information is always easier than suppressing and eradicating it. Hence the emergence of the centrist liberal narrative about the grave danger posed by 'fake news' and the corresponding need to enact 'fact-checking'. It also makes sense for the simple reason that mainstream liberal media has nothing to fear from 'fact-checkers' even if those were dissidents and heretics; after all, this media does not function by spreading lies and fabrications but by simply not reporting uncomfortable facts and by spinning information that is factually true according to their hegemonic ideology. In other words, there are no facts to check there.
The ultimate aim of 'fact-checking' is of course to eventually justify the cancellation, censorship and suppression of platforms accused of spreading 'fake news'.
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I'd argue that such organizations fulfill a role in current society that is at least not insignificant for the powers that be.
Any ruling regime that has hegemonic control over public discourse has an evident interest in controlling and limiting the public dissemination of information because their control over society and its consensus depends on it. Its opponents and dissidents, on the other hand, are evidently interested in the opposite, and the simple social reality is that spreading and disseminating subversive and heretical information is always easier than suppressing and eradicating it. Hence the emergence of the centrist liberal narrative about the grave danger posed by 'fake news' and the corresponding need to enact 'fact-checking'. It also makes sense for the simple reason that mainstream liberal media has nothing to fear from 'fact-checkers' even if those were dissidents and heretics; after all, this media does not function by spreading lies and fabrications but by simply not reporting uncomfortable facts and by spinning information that is factually true according to their hegemonic ideology. In other words, there are no facts to check there.
The ultimate aim of 'fact-checking' is of course to eventually justify the cancellation, censorship and suppression of platforms accused of spreading 'fake news'.
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