Zuckerberg faces backlash as leaked recordings reveal Facebook’s alleged role in censoring COVID-19 vaccine dissent
Zuckerberg faces backlash as leaked recordings reveal Facebook’s alleged role in censoring COVID-19 vaccine dissent
- Leaked recordings from a 2021 Rockefeller Foundation conference call reveal Facebook’s collaboration with pro-vaccine organizations to amplify vaccine messaging.
- Facebook provided significant free advertising credits to organizations promoting government-aligned vaccine narratives, including allocations for high-profile figures like former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
- The initiative involved anchor organizations such as the Chicago Community Trust, United Way of Greater Newark and Roots Community Health Center.
- In a recent interview, Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook initially resisted censoring satirical memes about COVID-19 vaccines until government officials threatened to take action.
- Critics argue that Zuckerberg’s allegations are at odds with the evidence presented in the leaked recordings, highlighting a discrepancy between his statements and Facebook’s alleged actions.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is under fire following the release of leaked recordings by the O’Keefe Media Group, allegedly showing Facebook collaborating with pro-vaccine organizations to censor dissenting narratives about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
The leaked recordings stem from a 2021 Rockefeller Foundation conference call and raise serious questions about Facebook’s content moderation practices and its relationship with public health organizations. The initiative involved anchor organizations such as the Chicago Community Trust, United Way of Greater Newark and Roots Community Health Center, which received ad credits as part of a coordinated effort to amplify vaccine messaging across multiple cities.
According to the recordings, Facebook granted significant free advertising credits to organizations promoting government-aligned vaccine narratives, with allocations extending to high-profile figures like former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Related: Zuckerberg exposes Biden admin’s ‘screaming’ demands to censor COVID posts.)
During the call, Facebook’s Director of Health Policy and Communications, Estelle Willie, reportedly disclosed that the platform provided 100,000 ad credits per pilot city to advance public health messaging. “We negotiated $100,000 ad credits per pilot city to use, and then we also got ad credits for Governor Cuomo after he called Otis asking,” Willie is heard saying.
In a statement accompanying the recordings, James O’Keefe, founder of the O’Keefe Media Group, suggested that Facebook’s actions represented more than mere compliance with external pressure. “Facebook’s partnership with entities pushing COVID-19 narratives shows active engagement, not just a reaction to government mandates,” O’Keefe stated.
Zuckerberg earlier slammed the Biden administration for censoring vaccine skepticism on Facebook
This development comes as Zuckerberg publicly blamed the Biden administration for pressuring his platform to suppress information.
In a recent interview with the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Zuckerberg revealed that the company initially resisted censoring satirical memes about COVID-19 vaccines until government officials threatened to take action. Zuckerberg said that the White House was pressuring the company to take down content that was deemed “misinformation” about the vaccines and that government officials were “yelling at them and cursing” to get their way.
The content in question was a meme featuring a scene from the film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which implied it would be an ad for a class-action suit for vaccine injuries in about a decade. Outgoing President Joe Biden had made vaccine mandates a key part of his COVID-19 policy, and in July 2021, he claimed that social media was “killing people” by allowing “misinformation” about the vaccines to be posted.
Zuckerberg said that the First Amendment, which bans censorship in the U.S. Constitution, does not apply to private companies like Facebook, but that it does apply to the government. He also revealed that Facebook had censored 18 million “instances of COVID-19 misinformation” and shadow-banned “167 million pieces of COVID-19 content” deemed untrue by its fact-checkers.
In recent weeks, Zuckerberg announced the end of Facebook’s fact-checking program, describing it as “too politically biased” and counterproductive. He said that the program had become “a tool to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas.”
But now, all this has been under intense scrutiny as critics argue that Zuckerberg’s allegations are at odds with the evidence presented in the leaked recordings.
Head over to Censorship.news for similar stories.
Watch this Fox Business report about Rob Flaherty’s involvement in the VIP censorship portal used by Facebook to silence content critical of COVID-19.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Zuckerberg slams Biden for censoring vaccine opposition, takes aim at Apple in Rogan interview.
Zuckerberg: Biden admin pressured Meta to censor posts about COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
Zuckerberg’s Rogan interview exposes Big Pharma’s grip on COVID censorship.
Zuckerberg’s meeting with Trump preceded fact-checking policy shift, GOP senator reveals.
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