'Cosying up to Donald Trump': Zuckerberg ditches fact-checking on social media

Press Review

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, January 9: The commander-in-chief of the army, Joseph Aoun, emerges as a favourite in Lebanon's election for president. It's the country's thirteenth attempt in two years to find a leader. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg's decision to kill fact-checking on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram sparks outrage but also support. Donald Trump continues to roil – and worry – Europe over his threat to take over Greenland by force, if necessary. Plus: French coach Dider Deschamps says he'll step down after the 2026 World Cup.

Lebanon in new bid to elect new president

Lebanon prepares to elect a new leader. As one news outlet says, the country has tried twelve times to elect a new leader in the past two years without success, so here’s hoping the baker’s dozen is the lucky one.

The man emerging as favourite is Joseph Aoun, who is depicted on the front of L’Orient-Le Jour, the French language Lebanese daily. Aoun is commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army and is a respected figure for having kept the Lebanese army together despite political fractures. Another Lebanese daily, Annahar, is exercising caution today, noting that 86 votes are needed out of 128 to win the election.

Unlike previous times, this vote is taking place with a significantly weakened Hezbollah, which has lost influence in parliament. For the pro-Hezbollah daily al-Akhbar, the emergence of Aoun is the result of foreign collusion between the US and Saudi Arabia, which the paper sees as making a return to Lebanese politics. In an analysis piece from The Washington Institute, the author warns that the time to strike is now. Without an immediate and concerted effort to consolidate the setbacks to Hezbollah, the group could regroup and rebuild, which would put Lebanon’s political future in peril once again.

Meta ends fact-checking in US

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has taken the drastic step of rolling back its fact-checking service, in what appears to be a move bowing down to the new Trump administration. For The Guardian’s editors, Zuckerberg is ingratiating himself with the next Trump administration with this decision to scrap US-based fact-checkers on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Concretely, users can call others mentally ill based on their sexuality or gender identity, for instance. Meta says the decision is in response to accusations of overreach by content moderators. But as The Guardian notes, it kills two birds with one stone for Zuckerberg: cutting costs and getting on Trump’s good side, this as the new US leader will soon have the power to kill or not a federal antitrust case against Meta, release regulatory pressure on big tech and facilitate AI.

For The Economist though, as "craven" as the circumstances may be, Meta’s new sweeping changes are correct. Speech online "urgently needs to become freer". The Economist says this is the only way to shore up America’s democracy against whatever tests it faces in the years to come.

Trump wants to take over Greenland

In addition to railing against Meta, Trump has raised eyebrows this week for his plans to take over the Danish territory of Greenland. Certainly a question one might be asking today is on the front of French paper Le Parisien: Just how far will they go, Donald Trump and his right- hand man Elon Musk? Trump's comments that the US needs Greenland for its economic security raise concerns about how far Trump can go in his quests as president, particularly against a Europe weakened by war and inflation.

The Economist plays devil’s advocate in a piece; suggesting that instead of using force, Trump should name his price for Greenland. The author points to the US purchases of Louisiana and Alaska in the 19^th century as some of the greatest achievements in US history and very good value. History will not be kind to Trump, the magazine says, if he takes Greenland by force, but purchasing it could be seen as the deal of the century.

It’s not as easy as he thinks, warns Danish paper Jyllands-Posten. Trump will have to impose punitive tariffs not just on Denmark but all of Europe if he wants to take control of Greenland. No one knows how serious he is, but as one business owner is quoted as saying, it’s never a nice feeling to be on Trump's radar.

Didier Deschamps to bow out

Finally: Didier Deschamps, coach of the French football team, says he’ll be stepping down after the 2026 World Cup. Deschamps, who coached France to victory in the 2018 World Cup and to the final in 2022, plans to leave the national team. But He's not the one gracing the cover of L’Equipe, the French sports paper. It's Zinédine Zidane, the 1998 World Cup hero, who has never been coy about his ambitions to coach the French national side. The path appears to be clearing now with Deschamp's announcement. Hence the paper's anticipation, even if Zidane hasn't yet said anything officially.

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