FACEBOOK’S MOST ENGAGING CONTENT

Content posted from news outlets rated as far-right received the highest levels of engagement on Facebook in the months surrounding the 2020 elections, according to a new study released by New York University.

Moreover, researchers found that among far-right outlets, sources identified as spreading misinformation had on average 65 percent more engagement per follower than other far-right pages.

Far-right sources were also the only group that didn’t suffer what the researchers deemed a “misinformation penalty,” with the sources of misinformation from far-right outlets outperforming far-right pages that were not identified as sources of misinformation.

The study comes as Facebook and other tech giants are under increased scrutiny over their handling of misinformation.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear alongside other top tech CEOs before the House Energy and Commerce Committee later this month.