This text was published by IBERIFIER, one of fifteen EDMO Hubs.
The new special issue of the scientific journal Communication & Society, entitled “From Fact-Checking to Community Notes: Structural Changes in the Fight Against Disinformation on Social Media”, is now available. This special edition is one of the outcomes of the IBERIFIER Plus project, and the full issue can already be accessed and read in Open Access. The special issue, published as Volume 39 (Issue 1, June 2026), has been guest-edited by Professors Ramón Salaverría (University of Navarra), Lucas Graves (Carlos III University of Madrid), and Raquel Recuero (Federal University of Pelotas and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul). Through a collection of international studies, the issue examines the profound paradigm shift in content moderation strategies adopted by major platforms, which have increasingly moved away from third-party fact-checking models in favour of user-driven processes. A new era for digital platforms The special issue explores how platforms such as X and Meta have begun to move away from third-party fact-checking programmes and toward user-driven approaches such as Community Notes. This shift is taking place in a complex geopolitical environment, marked by legal pressure on TikTok over risks of foreign interference and by new moderation strategies introduced following the beginning of Donald Trump’s second presidential term in January 2025.