--- title: "Blair Visscher's thesis links Meta news ban to wildfire misinformation rise" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/media/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/media/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise" category: "Media" published: "2026-08-12T02:47:54.300Z" source_reported: "2026-08-12T01:00:00.000Z" updated: "2026-08-12T02:47:54.300Z" trust_score: 62 critic_score: 51 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-12T05:07:23.285Z" --- # Blair Visscher's thesis links Meta news ban to wildfire misinformation rise *Master's research finds conspiracy content on Facebook surged after Canadian news was removed from the platform* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 62 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports corroborate digests. - Craft 51 of 100, higher is better. Lacks opposing views and expert quotes. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Measured language in full reports. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Blair Visscher studied Facebook discussions during three wildfires for her master's thesis at UBC Okanagan. - Her research found conspiracy narratives increased after Meta removed Canadian news from its platforms in August 2023. - Visscher traced growing distrust in official information to the COVID-19 pandemic and Facebook's algorithms. - The Bush Creek East wildfire in 2023 saw a notable rise in misinformation compared to earlier fires. Blair Visscher, a Vernon resident and master's student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, studied how misinformation spread on Facebook during wildfire emergencies in Canada. Her research focused on three events: the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire, and the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire in the Central Okanagan. The Bush Creek East wildfire began on 12 July 2023 and was not classified as being held until late September, covering 45,600 hectares. On 2 August 2023, Meta began removing Canadian news content from Facebook and Instagram in response to the Online News Act, a federal policy aimed at requiring tech companies to compensate Canadian news outlets for their content. Visscher told the Sicamous Eagle Valley News that her hypothesis was that the Meta news ban created an information vacuum. She said this vacuum allowed conspiracy narratives to grow, particularly during emergencies when accurate information was critical. Visscher noted that distrust in government and expert sources had already been rising since the COVID-19 pandemic. For her thesis, Visscher analysed Facebook discussions around each wildfire. She found that the proportion of conspiratorial content increased over time. The White Rock Lake wildfire in 2021 saw a smaller share of conspiracy narratives, while the Bush Creek East wildfire in 2023 had a significantly larger share. Visscher attributed this rise to both the Meta news ban and the platform's algorithms, which she said prioritise divisive and engaging content. ## What the coverage left out No centre- or right-rated outlet carried this story. The omission is a finding: the reports below are all from left-rated or unrated outlets. ## Who covered it Shares of the 12 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 100% (12) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-12T05:07:23.285Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-12T05:15:26.918Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated outlets that carried the story led on Visscher's findings about the growth of misinformation after Meta removed Canadian news from its platforms. The Sicamous Eagle Valley News and Penticton Western News, which published full reports, quoted Visscher directly on how the news ban created an information vacuum that conspiracy theories filled. - Both full reports described how Visscher's research traced the roots of social distrust to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also highlighted her observation that Facebook's algorithms do not promote official information, leaving users to believe it does not exist if they do not see it. The Sicamous Eagle Valley News quoted Visscher saying, "If you aren’t seeing official information, that’s likely just because your algorithm is not showing it to you." - The digests from the left-rated outlets summarised Visscher's research similarly. They noted that her thesis examined the rise of conspiracy narratives during wildfires and linked this to Meta's decision to block Canadian news. None of the digests quoted Visscher directly, but all mentioned the connection between the news ban and the spread of misinformation. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 9 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Sicamous Eagle Valley News](https://eaglevalleynews.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Today In BC](https://todayinbc.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Penticton Western News](https://pentictonwesternnews.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Kitimat Northern Sentinel](https://northernsentinel.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Northern Sentinel - [Port Alberni Valley News](https://albernivalleynews.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Red Deer Advocate](https://reddeeradvocate.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Nunavut News](https://nunavutnews.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Houston Today](https://houston-today.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Caledonia Courier](https://caledoniacourier.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier - [Vancouver Island Free Daily](https://vancouverislandfreedaily.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Peninsula News Review](https://peninsulanewsreview.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [ominecaexpress.com](https://ominecaexpress.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Vanderhoof Omineca Express - [Cranbrook Daily Townsman](https://cranbrooktownsman.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [Smithers Interior News](https://interior-news.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - [grandforksgazette.ca](https://grandforksgazette.ca/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Grand Forks Gazette - [yellowknifer.com](https://yellowknifer.com/2026/08/11/b-c-womans-thesis-examines-wildfire-misinformation-amid-meta-news-ban) — B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Yellowknifer ## Questions **What did Blair Visscher's thesis find about misinformation during wildfires?** Visscher's research found that misinformation and conspiracy narratives on Facebook increased significantly after Meta removed Canadian news from its platforms in August 2023. Her thesis linked this rise to the platform's algorithms and growing distrust in official sources since the COVID-19 pandemic. **How did Meta's news ban affect information during the Bush Creek East wildfire?** Meta's news ban removed Canadian news from Facebook and Instagram on 2 August 2023, during the Bush Creek East wildfire. Visscher's thesis found that this created an information vacuum, allowing conspiracy theories and misinformation to spread more widely on the platform. **Which wildfires did Blair Visscher study for her thesis?** Visscher studied three wildfires: the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire, and the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire. She analysed Facebook discussions around each event to track the growth of conspiracy narratives over time. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/media/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Blair Visscher's thesis links Meta news ban to wildfire misinformation rise", https://mediabias.news/media/blair-visschers-thesis-links-meta-news-ban-to-wildfire-misinformation-rise