Facebook Reverses Censorship of Major Pro-Life Group, Threatens Future Penalizations
Just one day after a group of Republican senators sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding his site’s “censorship” of a major pro-life group’s content, the Silicon Valley-based company has reversed its flagging efforts.
In late August, Facebook flagged two videos posted by Live Action in which founder and president Lila Rose argued abortion is “never medically necessary.” Citing transparently biased “fact-checkers” with the left-leaning Health Feedback, Facebook flagged the videos featuring Rose as “false news.”
It is worth noting that one of those supposed “fact-checkers,” Jennifer Gunter, has openly bashed Live Action on social media for its pro-life bonafides.
How dare you @LiveAction abuse the memory of women who have died and almost died because they needed go not be pregnant #LiveActionLiars
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) May 17, 2019
Following the censorship, Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Zuckerberg, rebuking the company’s “pattern of censorship” and called for an external audit of its policies.
On Thursday, according to Rose, Facebook removed its page violations from the Live Action account, but offered no apology to the thousands of page fans who were notified when Facebook first flagged the content and threatened future penalizations following an “investigation” into the matter.
UPDATE: @facebook has removed our page violations, saying we may be penalized again after an “investigation”
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 12, 2019
No apology or update sent to the 1000s of our followers they had contacted
The abortionists’ “fact-check,” lying about our videos, remains on Facebook’s partner website
Hawley responded to the news with his own tweet, demanding Facebook notify all Live Action followers that the company’s fact-checking of the pro-life group’s content was “bogus.”
.@facebook needs to do the right thing & update all @LiveAction followers that the “fact check” was bogus https://t.co/9KYQ5cm9q7
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 12, 2019
Speaking with Faithwire earlier this month, Alison Centofante, director of external communications for Live Action, said part of the reason the pro-life organization is targeted so often is because “we’re really effective and changing hearts and minds.”
“And for good, bad, or worse, these are the platforms we utilize most often,” she continued. “This is where we gather our news and Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth on a national debate that’s been ongoing in our country.”
Centofante added Facebook has told Live Action it is reviewing the processes and policies the company has in place.
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