Since 2019 we’ve checked 2,596 cases of potentially misleading, faked or possibly harmful posts on Facebook and other platforms
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Dear Friend,
In the newsletter this week...
* How many children have been the victims of grooming gangs in the UK?
* The NHS does send patients texts
* Daily Express misstates small boat arrivals data
* Government tracker
But first...
News that Meta, the world’s largest social media company, is scrapping its partnership with fact checkers in the US has reverberated around the world.
We’ve strongly refuted much of what Meta has said about their reasons for the change, particularly that fact checkers are politically biased, or that we encourage censorship.
Find out more... ([link removed])
Full Fact has been a proud contributor to the Third Party Fact Checking initiative (TPFC) since January 2019 and in those six years we’ve checked 2,596 cases which include misleading, faked, or potentially harmful posts on Facebook and other platforms.
Many of these cases relate to some of the biggest national and international stories like elections, major conflicts, viral conspiracy theories, and public health.
Best wishes,
Craig, Digital Campaigns Manager—Full Fact
** How many children have been the victims of grooming gangs in the UK? ([link removed])
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Some widely shared posts on social media—including one shared on X by the platform’s owner, the businessman Elon Musk—have claimed that more than a million children have been victims of “grooming gangs” in the UK. We’ve also seen different estimates for the number of victims circulating, such as a figure of over 250,000.
We have not been able to find a reliable estimate for the total number of victims, however. We therefore cannot say whether the figures quoted in these posts are right or wrong.
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** The NHS does send patients texts ([link removed])
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On 5 January, health secretary Wes Streeting said: “You book a table in a restaurant these days—or even an appointment at the hairdresser—you’ll get a text message 24 or 48 hours in advance to remind you. Why doesn’t the NHS do this?”
But many NHS services already do send patients reminders via text.
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Support Full Fact
Losing the cooperation of an organisation like Meta could seriously disrupt our ability to challenge online misinformation. As a registered charity, Full Fact relies on the public to support our independent, impartial fact checking and advocacy work.
Please support Full Fact with a monthly gift of £10
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** Daily Express misstates small boat arrivals data ([link removed])
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A video of Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage has been shared on social media, claiming Mr Farage “says he will do nothing for the black community”. But this clip is missing important context.
While Mr Farage did say this, the quote circulating online has been taken out of context, as the video stops mid-sentence before Mr Farage completes his comments. He went on to say: “I couldn’t give a damn whether you’re black or white, whether you’re gay or straight. I really don’t care. You’ll be judged by your character.”
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** Government tracker ([link removed])
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Full Fact’s most recent updates to our tracker of government policy.
Thursday 9th January
* Has the government issued new licences to explore new oil and gas fields? ([link removed])
Monday 6th January
* Has the government ended private schools’ VAT exemption and business rates relief? ([link removed])
Friday 3rd January
* Is the government training ‘thousands more GPs’? ([link removed])
* Is the government on course to secure ‘the highest sustained growth in the G7’? ([link removed])
Thursday 2nd January
* Is the government on course to meet the NHS 18-week standard on waiting times? ([link removed])
* Is the government on course to deliver an extra 40,000 more NHS appointments per week? ([link removed])
Discover our Government tracker ([link removed])
* Guardian article suggesting white people should be treated last by the NHS is fake ([link removed])
* Keir Starmer video calling some Savile claims ‘slightly frivolous’ is deepfake ([link removed])
* Business rates relief rules for private schools haven’t changed yet ([link removed])
Read our latest fact checks ([link removed])
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Stop the spread of bad information
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All the best,
Team Full Fact
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