Why Professional Fact-Checking Matters: Meta, the EU, and the Western Balkans

Meta’s move away from its Third-Party Fact-Checking program and towards crowdsourced Community Notes saw warnings from experts on the impact it might have on the spread of disinformation on its platforms. With Europe tightening digital rules under the DSA and launching new initiatives to support fact-checking, the stakes are especially high for regions like the Western Balkans, where Meta’s retreat could roll back hard-won gains in information integrity.

In January 2025, Meta announced it would end its Third-Party Fact-Checking (TPFC) program in the United States, replacing it with a crowdsourced Community Notes system similar to X’s. The TPFC relied on independent, IFCN and EFCSN certified fact-checkers, who rated the accuracy of content on Meta’s platforms. The system included warning labels, distribution limits and other measures to demote the content rated as false or misleading. These measures produced some tangible results in strengthening information integrity, including the issuing of corrections that emerged as a new practice for many of online media outlets that have previously only favored “clickability” and paid no attention to credibility or verification of the information they (re)publish.

Unlike the TPFC, Community Notes carry no penalties and depend on cross-partisan consensus among users, favoring agreement over robust methodology centered around facts. Research shows that this model is slower, flags far less false content, and struggles with polarizing topics where consensus is hard or impossible to reach. Experts and fact-checking organizations warn that replacing professional review with “armchair expertise” risks further enabling the spread and monetization of disinformation, including that used in state-sponsored campaigns.

The TPFC had proven effective in incentivizing media outlets in vulnerable regions such as the Western Balkans to issue corrections and improve editorial standards. Its removal threatens to undo these gains.

Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), very large online platforms must assess and mitigate systemic risks such as disinformation, but they are free to choose how. Participation in the EU’s Code of Practice on Disinformation, now a formal Code of Conduct under the DSA, counts toward compliance, yet platforms have begun retreating from fact-checking commitments.

The European Commission has already scrutinized X’s approach to fact-checking and is expected to assess the effectiveness of any measures platforms adopt, including Community Notes. The forthcoming European Democracy Shield aims to strengthen fact-checking networks, including in candidate countries.

Aligning with EU digital policy in regions like the Western Balkans therefore offers the clearest path to improve resilience against disinformation and protect information integrity. In this context, professional fact-checking remains a critical accountability mechanism, and the EU’s support could prove decisive in preventing disinformation from further undermining democratic processes in the region.

Read the full analysis on this link.

The creation of this text was made possible with the support of the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans within the project Growth and Digital Rights: Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market. The content of the text is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans.