"The Fact-Check Paradox" explores the contradiction at the heart of modern fact-checking: while meant to clarify truth, fact-checkers often impose their own interpretations, leaving people uncertain about what’s verified and what isn’t. This creates a paradox where the pursuit of truth may, in fact, cloud independent judgment. The poem tries to emphasise the need for individuals to think for themselves and decide what to trust in an age of overwhelming information.

 

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Zuckerberg pulls the plug at last,
On "fact-checks" wielded in the past.
A Trumpist bow, some voices cry,
Or is it truth that's gone awry?

 

For checks of facts, some critics state,
Mask bias in their chosen weight.
On migrants, gender, climate fears...,
The "truth" aligns, it oft appears.

 

The EU sought to tame the hate,
With laws for speech to regulate.
But who decides what harms discourse?
What lines define this fraught recourse?

 

Should platforms mold the public square,
Decide what's false, what’s fair to share?
Or leave the fray to clash and test,
Where freedoms flourish, truth is stressed?
 

The age demands debate, not chains,
Where thought competes, not one remains.
If Musk and Zuckerberg misstep,
The public finds new paths to trek.