WRAL, PolitiFact launch new 'Facebook Fridays' segment

Tune in to WRAL-TV on any given weekday, and you’re likely to see us fact check a politician.

Soon, you’ll see a different speaker under the microscope: You. More specifically, you the Facebook user.

WRAL News and PolitiFact are rolling out “Facebook Fridays.” Every Friday, we’ll examine a viral Facebook post that has been fact-checked by PolitiFact.

Posts will concern politics or current events – not necessarily a politician.

Social media can be fertile ground for misinformation, so PolitiFact partners with Facebook to fight the spread of false news.

PolitiFact is certified through the nonpartisan International Fact-Checking Network to help identify and review dubious claims. (Facebook is one of two companies that contributed more than 5 percent of PolitiFact’s total revenues last year.)

Here’s a link to information on Facebook’s partnership with third-party fact-checkers.

PolitiFact has checked a wide range of Facebook posts – from captions to memes – and topics. January’s checks have tackled everything from a claim about Hilary Clinton to a doctored photo showing Tom Hanks.