A lot of Facebook Publishers get hit by the ‘False Information’ flag wrongfully(memes that are sarcastic get caught in this) leaving the publishers with a violation they think cannot be appealed. Most publishers have no idea how to get it removed or even appeal it. Here’s how I was able to get the false flag removed from my meme post.
Facebook uses a Fact-Checking Network. Independent third-party fact-checkers review the stories, rate their accuracy, and write an article explaining the facts behind their rating.
In my case, the post that was flagged as false news was:
As you can clearly see, this was a sarcastic meme and obviously not intended to be taken seriously.
When my post got flagged, the page quality tab of my Facebook page went yellow and looked like this:
Most people just delete that post thinking it’d get the flagged removed. However, that is not what you’re supposed to do. I repeat ‘DO NOT DELETE THE POST.’ This will make it impossible for the fact-checker to process your correction.
Publishers may directly contact the third-party fact-checking organizations if (1) they have corrected the rated content, or if (2) they believe that the fact-checker’s rating is inaccurate. Fact-checkers are responsible for evaluating the validity of each correction.
The first step to fixing this is to find out which Fact-checker flagged your post. You can find the fact checkers details when you click ‘See Why’ on your flagged post. It will look like this:
Once you do that, you’ll know which organization & website was responsible for flagging your post. Now the next step is to edit your post and add a disclaimer to it stating that it was sarcastic in nature and it is not a fact.
I edited my post and added: The statement made here about 38% of Americans not buying Corona beer was sarcastic in nature and is in no way a fact. Just to be abundantly clear: There is no link between the virus and the beer.
Now, you email the organization who flagged your post using a corrections email template provided by Facebook: Corrections Template
If your content is rated by multiple organizations, you may need to contact each fact-checker. Publishers must submit their correction or dispute within seven days of receiving a rating notification. So if you don’t act quickly, they will not bother about it. Fact-checkers are asked to initially acknowledge appeals within one working day of receiving the appeal, be quick and it will be resolved.
I was able to remove the flag from my page quality tab within one day of getting it. The fact-checkers are quick to respond back and cooperate. Please see below:
This guide is strictly meant to educate publishers who get caught mistakenly in these false news flags for posting humor and memes.
More info:
Issue a correction or dispute a rating
How is Facebook addressing false news through third-party fact-checkers?