Meta will train its AI on Newsmax, a far-right outlet with a history of conspiracy theories

Meta's push to keep pace in the AI race has taken a controversial turn, with the company saying it will use Newsmax reporting and archives to help answer AI questions across its apps and devices, potentially pulling a long record of misinformation into tools used by billions of people.

What happened?

According to Popular Information, Meta and the far-right site Newsmax have entered a content agreement under which Newsmax material will help "support AI queries across Meta's apps and devices." 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Newsmax itself has announced the partnership. Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said the company was "pleased to work with Meta to help ensure users have access to timely, high-quality journalism through AI technologies."

Yet, many are raising concerns due to Newsmax's propensity for spreading lies, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. NewsGuard, an organization that rates media websites on their accuracy, gave the outlet a score of 20 out of 100 and said Newsmax "is unreliable because it severely violates basic journalism standards."

Among the outlet's most prominent falsehoods were its 2020 election claims about Dominion and Smartmatic. Both companies sued, and the cases were settled, with Newsmax agreeing to cough up more than $100 million combined, according to Popular Information. 

The site has also been identified as one of the biggest promoters of climate change-related disinformation on the internet by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The partnership arrives as Meta rolls AI features deeper into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Together, Meta claims those platforms reach more than 3.9 billion monthly users.

When AI tools draw on unreliable material, mis- and disinformation can spread faster and appear more credible. The concern is even greater when the AI is built directly into apps many people already use for news, messaging, and everyday search-like questions.

Popular Information also reported that Meta has made similar AI-training deals with Fox News, News Corp, The Washington Examiner, and The Daily Caller, as well as with mainstream publishers such as USA Today, CNN, and People Inc. 

The outlet added that Meta has no equivalent AI-training partnerships with left-leaning outlets and did not comment on why when asked.

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