Professor Warns ‘Fact-Checkers’ Sometimes Lack the Right Expertise to Judge Content

Calling something “misinformation” does not necessarily mean it is false just because it has been fact-checked by experts, a Senate Committee has heard. Anne Twomey, a professor at the University of Sydney and a legal consultant, raised the point during a hearing into the impending Misinformation Bill before the Australian Parliament. The Bill will compel social media platforms to regulate mis- or disinformation on their platforms with the threat of fines. However, the Bill has also been contentious with concerns it could silence debate. Thus far, the federal opposition has been critical of the Bill, along with several independent MPs. The Bill has passed the lower house and is set for debate in the Senate....