Dear reader,

We live in a dangerous age of misinformation and disinformation. One that is often fuelled by social media.

On Tuesday, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that his social media platforms – including Facebook, Instagram and Threads – would get rid of all factcheckers.

Meta’s move could make the truth even harder to find online.

In the UK, more than half of adults use social media to get their news. The number is even higher for young people. Facebook, Instagram and Elon Musk’s X make up three of the 10 biggest sources for news in the country.

Meta has said it will follow the lead of X and move away from third-party checks of misleading content in favour of user-based notes. Nobel prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa said Meta’s change in policy would lead to a “world without facts”.

Meanwhile, Musk himself, the planet’s richest man, has spent the past week using his enormous profile on his social media site to attack and spread falsehoods about elected officials in the UK.

Disinformation, as a Guardian editorial put it this week, is a “potent political weapon” that can make “voters believe falsehoods while distrusting – even hating – those who don’t”.

In the face of this wave of misinformation and disinformation, the Guardian’s diligent reporters and editors are committed to standing up for facts and reporting the truth. We are an independent organisation powered by the support of readers who share with us in this urgent mission.