Dispute and Correction Guideline for Articles Produced as Part of Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Programme

In 2016, META launched a Third-Party Fact-Checking program in collaboration with independent fact-checking organizations to improve the accuracy of information posted on its platform. On September 21, 2020, METAexpanded the program to Georgia, under which FactCheck Georgia (www.factcheck.ge) and Myth Detector (www.mythdetector.ge) became its local partners. These organizations are verified members of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) of the Poynter Institute.

In the framework of Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking program, fact-checkers check the veracity of the information spread on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. After identifying content that contains potentially incorrect information on Facebook, the fact-checking organizations participating in the program evaluate and label the dubious content through the Facebook rating system, which includes the following ratings:

1. False

2. Altered

3. Partly false

4. Missing context

5. Satire

6. True

Of note is that Facebook imposes certain restrictions on publishers (individual account, Facebook page) distributing content rated as the first 4 categories (false, altered, partly false, missing context) by FactCheck Georgia (www.factcheck.ge) and Myth Detector (www.mythdetector.ge), which may include restrictions on the dissemination of such content. In the event of repeated identical infringement by the same publishers, Facebook may take additional measures: reduce distribution and reach of the publisher, limit the ability of advertising and monetization, etc.

Note that Meta may use an article prepared by FactCheck Georgia and a relevant rating to automatically apply a label to similar or identical content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In such cases, the following statement will appear on the post: “The same information was checked in another post by independent fact-checkers.” Please note FactCheck Georgia cannot process review requests or corrections for such content. See Meta's policy for more details.

Is it possible to review the rating by the fact-checking organizations?

There are two ways to review the rating of a content:

1. Correction of a content. If you agree with the rating given to the content you have shared/published, you can make corrections to the inaccuracies given the due prominence, which means clearly correcting the spread incorrect content, including the title, on the same link as the initial material was disseminated. After the correction, we will remove the initial rating on Facebook. Below you can find detailed information on issuing a correction. 

2. Dispute a rating. If you disagree with the rating, you can dispute it, after which we will consider your arguments and decide whether to revoke the rating or uphold it. Below you can find detailed information on disputing a rating.  

NB! Do not delete the rated content, be it a Facebook post or information posted on the website, otherwise the restrictions imposed by Facebook on you will remain in force and we will not be able to change the rating in neither cases of requesting a correction or disputing the rating.

Who can apply?

Interested parties - publishers (individual account, Facebook page), who are directly responsible for the dubious content and its distribution, can contact us and request correction or dispute of the rating.

What are the deadlines for issuing a dispute or a correction?

Interested parties - can apply to the editorial board of FactCheck Georgia (www.factcheck.ge) within 7 working days after the rating has been given to the content published on Facebook. Appeals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

In what time frame will we react?

If the original material is sufficiently corrected and FactCheck Georgia (www.factcheck.ge) is informed about it, a reasoned answer will be returned within 3 working days, at which time FactCheck Georgia will decide to either revise or leave the rating in force.

Please note that if a complaint or a correction request includes includes harassment, hate speech, or other threatening language, FactCheck Georgia reserves the right not to respond.

How should I correct my content?

If you agree with the rating given on META's platforms and want to correct the published material:

• Do not delete the rated post! Deleting a post will make it impossible to correct  it and/or remove the restrictions imposed by Facebook.

• Correction should be done according to the type of published material:

1. Correcting photo/video content

• If you posted incorrect information in the form of a photo or a video post, clearly indicate the correction in the photo/video description on META's platforms, and also clearly explain the changes made to the post so that readers can get accurate information about the given photo/video. In order to do this, you can attach additional links to the post about updated information (including debunking article from FactCheck Georgia).

2. Correcting a text-only post

• If you spread the incorrect information as a text-only post, replace it with the correct information, and indicate in the beginning that the post has been updated. Also, clearly explain the changes made. You can attach additional links to the post about updated information (including debunking article from FactCheck Georgia). 

3. Correcting the article published on the website - to correct the content shared on META's platforms, which was originally posted on your website, make the following changes:

• Indicate in the beginning of the content published on the website that the original version of the text contained incorrect information and clearly explain the changes and inaccuracies.


• Correct the title of the article published on the website so that incorrect information is no longer readable from it, and indicate in the title that the article has been corrected - using the word "corrected".


• Clearly indicate the correction in the title/description posted on Meta’s platforms.  Also, clearly explain the changes made in the post.

After making the correction in the original version of the content, you can request a review of the rating on Facebook:

• To request a review of fact-checked content from your profile, go to Profile Status.


• To request a review of fact-checked content from a Page you're the owner of, go to Page Status.


• To request a review of fact-checked content from a group you're the admin of, go to Group Status.


• To request a review of fact-checked content for your ad, go to Business Support Home.

Each one of those locations will show the fact-checks that have been applied and any restrictions Meta placed on the profile, Page, group or advertising account as a result.

See instructions on how to request a review of a rating on Instagram or Threads here.

If you are unable to request a rating review through Meta’s platforms, download and fill in FactCheck Georgia’s (www.factcheck.ge) corrections template and inform us about the changes via e-mail address [email protected]. We will review your correction and if it is precisely fulfilled, that is, it will inform the reader about the mistakes and correct facts, we will change the rating given to your content on the Meta’s platforms.

NB! Ratings will not be changed if the corrections are done incompletely. Publishers can send correction requests within 7 working days after the rating has been given to the content published on Facebook. 

How to dispute a rating?

• Do not delete the rated post! Deleting a post will make it impossible to dispute it and/or lift the restrictions imposed by Facebook.

You can dispute a rating through Facebook:

• To dispute a rating of fact-checked content from your profile, go to Profile Status.


• To dispute a rating of fact-checked content from a Page you're the owner of, go to Page Status.


• To dispute a rating of fact-checked content from a group you're the admin of, go to Group Status.


• To dispute a rating of fact-checked content for your ad, go to Business Support Home.

Each one of those locations will show the fact-checks that have been applied and any restrictions Meta placed on the profile, Page, group or advertising account as a result.

See instructions on how to dispute a rating on Instagram or Threads here.

If you are unable to dispute rating through Meta’s platforms, download and fill in FactCheck Georgia’s (www.factcheck.ge) corrections template and inform us about the changes via e-mail address [email protected].

NB! Templates filled in incompletely or submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed. Publishers can send complaint requests within 7 working days after the rating has been given to the content published on Facebook. 

Requesting Correction of FactCheck’s Other Articles

Since 2013, one of the main priorities for FactCheck has been contributing to increasing the accountability of politicians and the verification of facts in their statements. FactCheck understands that there is no guarantee from making mistakes in some cases. Therefore, FactCheck offers authors of verified statements (or any other stakeholders for that matter) to submit their remarks and arguments if they disagree with the content and the verdict. Our team analyses feedback and will promptly update or correct the content and the verdict if required by evidence and argument.

Update – If important information is added to the article/study which was not discernible previously in a study, although it does not change the verdict, we will update the article.

Correction – If information is added to the article which changes the verdict, we will correct the article.

It is visibly indicated in the updated or amended article upon whose request or based upon what argument it was updated/amended. In addition, such articles are published anew on FactCheck’s website and social media pages. If it is impossible to correct the original publication (for instance, FactCheck.ge’s information posted on Twitter), the content will be published anew in the same form as the original and the correction will be highlighted. 

Any interested individual can submit his/her substantiated opinion to the following email address: [email protected] and to our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Factcheck.ge/) vis-à-vis an article in question. FactCheck’s Editorial Board, together with the author of the article, will review and consider these letters [1].

[1] The Editorial Board consists of three editors:  Editor-in-chief, Facebook Third-Party Fact-Checking Programme Editor and Executive Editor. The Editorial Board makes decisions with two votes.

If you believe that  FactCheck Georgia is violating the European or international Code of Principles, you can inform either  International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) or European Fact-checking Standards Network on the following channels:

IFCN - https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy 

EFCSN - https://efcsn.com/complaints/ 

Neither IFCN nor EFCSN are appeals bodies, but they have responsibility to suspend or withdraw signatory status if they find a signatory has seriously violated their code.

Corrections made in 2022

• Ioseb Khakhaleishvili: “Reconstruction of the aforementioned sights [Kutaisi Hundred-Steps Stairs and the Colchis Fountain] will begin very shortly.” https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/41094


• A quote from Oleksiy Arestovych is shared with distorted context  - https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/40853


• Salome Zurabishvili: “A pardon is available when the trial is over” https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/41425

Corrections made in 2023

• Irakli Kobakhidze: Giorgi Vashadze rents his apartment to a Russian resident - https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/42156


• Disinformation: Olena Zelenska spent more than a million dollars in a Cartier store - https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/42271


• Disinformation: Israeli publication does not confirm the information that Hamas locked children kidnapped from Israel in cages - https://factcheck.ge/ka/story/42272