US President Donald Trump’s administration has instructed staff to deny visas to international applicants who work on fact-checking and content moderation. This move aims to restrict skilled foreign workers from coming to the US, targeting those who try to combat online misinformation. The policy is seen as anti-American censorship by critics, who argue that fact-checkers are essential to protecting free speech. Experts say this crackdown is part of a larger effort to silence those who might hold Trump and his allies responsible for online misdeeds.
The decision targets H-1B visa applicants who have worked on misinformation in the past. Critics charge that the policy is incoherent and unconstitutional, and that fact-checkers are not engaging in censorship but rather protecting free speech. The move has been seen as retribution against Trump himself, who was permanently suspended from Twitter after making false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump’s administration views this effort as a way to weaken those who might hold them accountable for online misbehavior. Critics argue that the policy is an attack on free speech and the ability of fact-checkers to protect Americans from misinformation.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/trumps-fact-checker-visa-free-speech