WEATHER ALERT

Facebook steps up fight against vaccine misinformation

By: The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

Advertisement

Advertise with us

NEW YORK - Social media giant Facebook says it will remove groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations on its site.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/03/2019 (2699 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK – Social media giant Facebook says it will remove groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations on its site.

It’s the latest step Facebook and others are taking to stem the tide of misinformation on social media sites.

Facebook says it will take its cue from global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have publicly identified verifiable vaccine hoaxes.

If groups and pages spread those hoaxes, they won’t appear in recommendations or in predictions functions when searched for in Facebook. Ads with similar information will be rejected.

And content that contains the misinformation won’t be shown on Instagram Explore or hashtag pages.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Report Error Submit a Tip

Advertisement

Learn more about Winnipeg Free Press Advertising solutions

More Stories

Facebook steps up fight against vaccine misinformation

The Associated Press 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 7, 2019

NEW YORK - Social media giant Facebook says it will remove groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations on its site.

It's the latest step Facebook and others are taking to stem the tide of misinformation on social media sites.

Facebook says it will take its cue from global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have publicly identified verifiable vaccine hoaxes.

If groups and pages spread those hoaxes, they won't appear in recommendations or in predictions functions when searched for in Facebook. Ads with similar information will be rejected.

Jedrzej Nowicki / The New York Times Demonstrators gather to protest the dismissal of the country’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, outside the Ivan Franko Theater in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 16.

Protests spur Ukraine military reshuffle

Kyle Volpi Hiebert 5 minute read Preview

Protests spur Ukraine military reshuffle

Kyle Volpi Hiebert 5 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

Even nations fighting for their survival can’t escape politics.

“The president should not choose sides during a war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters earlier this month after sacking his defence minister to quell a growing rift between him and the country’s military chief. “But if the parties cannot solve the issue, then I have to solve it.”

Many Ukrainians felt their leader picked the wrong side.

Protesters poured into Ukraine’s streets for days beginning July 16 to condemn the dismissal of 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov. The tech savvy iconoclast is fiercely popular. He’s also considered the architect of Kyiv’s robot-first military strategy that has tilted the war in Ukraine’s favour.

Read
2:01 AM CDT
CASSIDY DANKOCHIK / THE CARILLON Montreal Victoire defender Kati Tabin was back in Oakbank to celebrate with the town she grew up playing in, bringing along the Walter Cup after she helped her team claim earlier this season.

Trailblazer returns to share success, inspire next generation

Grace Penner 5 minute read Preview

Trailblazer returns to share success, inspire next generation

Grace Penner 5 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

Starstruck kids and fans zigzagged throughout the rink, anxiously waiting to get an autograph from Kati Tabin and to see their role model on the same side of the glass.

Tabin, Montreal Victoire defender and Team Canada silver medallist, on Saturday came home to the rink where it all began, the Oakbank Community Club. She brought the PWHL championship trophy, the Walter Cup, won in her third season with the club, as well as her 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic medal.

The arena was packed to the brim with fans from all over coming to see Tabin — the local player who made history in women’s hockey. Hundreds of enthusiasts of all ages lined up with their Victoire or Team Canada merchandise, some waiting over two hours to see their idol.

Eight-year-old Loxley Cierzan came with her mother, Ainsley, and other family members to meet the one and only Tabin. Cierzan has loved seeing other girls grace the ice and play the competitive sport she adores. When the PWHL takeover stopped in Winnipeg in March, she not only got to watch the game but also a practice beforehand where Tabin signed her Victoire hat.

Read
Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026
Richard Shotwell / Invision Files Avatar star Cliff Curtis is 51 today.

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Capricorn.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Parents should keep an eye on their kids. Surprise invitations and romantic encounters might make this an exciting day for you. Do not let your courageous impulses be dampened by parents, authority figures or critics. Believe in yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
2:00 AM CDT
Laura Loomer speaks during her interview with The Associated Press, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

Exclusive: In a Ukrainian bomb shelter, Laura Loomer explains shift on Russia’s war

Illia Novikov, Volodymr Yurchuk And Jill Colvin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Exclusive: In a Ukrainian bomb shelter, Laura Loomer explains shift on Russia’s war

Illia Novikov, Volodymr Yurchuk And Jill Colvin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:36 PM CDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Laura Loomer became infamous for spreading conspiracy theories online. Now, as she travels across Ukraine to see the damage inflicted by Russia in its yearslong war, she wants to admit that she fell for some falsehoods of her own.

A close ally of President Donald Trump, Loomer has completely reversed her longtime criticism of Ukraine and is urging fellow conservatives to be wary of Moscow's propaganda, which she blames for duping large swaths of the American right.

“You don’t need to listen to a podcaster and let them influence your opinion about a country. You can look at those facts yourself,” she told The Associated Press in Kyiv shortly after returning from a trip close to the front line in Ukraine's east. The interview was supposed to take place in Loomer's hotel, but it had to be moved to the building's underground bomb shelter as the city faced another ballistic missile attack.

Loomer has remained influential with Trump despite not having an official role, and she said they spoke over the phone after she sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She also said that she expects to meet with Trump after returning from her trip.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 5:36 PM CDT

Pre-lust logistics can help rein in randy racket

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I’ve discovered my wife is quite amorous out at the lake. It’s our first year having a fair bit of alone time at the cottage, and I’m all for an exciting sex life with the breeze blowing in through the windows.

Our kids are grown up now and not out here regularly anymore, so my wife doesn’t think she needs to keep it down. And she can be pretty noisy in bed.

Our neighbour behind us invited me over for drinks on his deck yesterday afternoon. When he’d had a few, he made a crack about the “free symphony” coming from our bedroom window.

Of course, I went home and told my wife, and she was mortified.