Freedomworks
Case #
5053

Facebook fact-checks Freedomworks post for misattribution: Freedomworks posted a quote on its Facebook page that it attributed to Abraham Lincoln. The quote read "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Instagram placed a fact-check interstitial over the image, hiding it unless a user clicks the small "See Photo" link below it. The interstitial claimed the post contained "False Information." When the "See Why" link was clicked, the information provided links to a Reuters Fact Check that claims a conclusion of "False," saying "Fact Check-'Test a man's character' quote misattributed to Abraham Lincoln." The Reuters article about it claims there is no evidence that Lincoln said such a thing, and that Robert G. Ingersoll seems to be the correct source of the quote, from the 1890s. It is unclear why Facebook felt it necessary to utilize an interstitial that completely hid the quote when the only problem with it is a misattribution. Facebook has the ability to add fact-check notes below posts while leaving them visible and not hiding them behind interstitials. According to Facebook, users fail to click through fact-check interstitials 95% of the time.

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