Professor Warns ‘Fact-Checkers’ Sometimes Lack the Right Expertise to Judge Content

The Australian Parliament is conducting hearings into its contentious Misinformation Bill that has already passed the country’s lower house.

A journalist verifies information on the internet in Washington, D.C., on June 21, 2012. Karen Bleier/AFP/GettyImages

Calling something “misinformation” does not necessarily mean it is false just because it has been fact-checked by experts, a Senate Committee has heard.

Anne Twomey, a professor at the University of Sydney and a legal consultant, raised the point during a hearing into the impending Misinformation Bill before the Australian Parliament.