Meta/Facebook fact-checking partner Lead Stories committed essentially the same fallacy of equivocation other fact-checkers committed with the issue of whether abortion is ever medically necessary. We sent a correction request to Lead Stories on July 23, 2022. Lead Stories made no apparent attempt to correct its error through Aug. 9, 2022.
Lead Stories’ failure to fix a documented error duly reported according to its corrections policy counts as Lead Stories’ failure to scrupulously follow its policy on corrections. Accordingly, Zebra Fact Check filed a formal complaint about Lead Stories with the International Fact-Checking Network on Aug. 9, 2022.
Dear International Fact-Checking Network,
Your recently re-verified signatory Lead Stories published a fact check on July 7, 2022 on abortion where it based its conclusion on a fallacy of equivocation.
An “anti-abortion” activist said abortion is never medically necessary. In context, that meant elective abortion. That’s what the term “abortion” means in the term “anti-abortion.” Lead Stories contradicted the claim using a broad medical definition of abortion, producing a classic example of an equivocation fallacy.
I reported the error to Lead Stories on July 23, 2022. As of Aug. 9, 2022 Lead Stories has taken no apparent action to correct its error. I took the extra step of reaching out via Twitter to Lead Stories’ Maarten Schenk. In the past, Mr. Schenk has proved pleasantly responsive to outreach attempts. In this case, however, he elected not to respond.
Lead Stories failure to clarify that “abortion” carries a considerable range of meaning and contextualize the original claim for purposes of its judgment counts as a failure to scrupulously adhere to an open and honest policy on corrections.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.