Zuckerberg: White House Pressured Facebook Over COVID Info

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Facts

• In a letter to US Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) made public Tuesday but dated Aug. 26, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed that Biden administration officials 'repeatedly pressured' Facebook to take down 'certain COVID-19 content' over the course of several months in 2021.^[1]
• Zuckerberg expressed regret that his company wasn't more 'outspoken' about the alleged pressure and wrote that Meta 'made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information,' it wouldn't make now or in the future.^[2]
• Separately, Zuckerberg also expressed regret for suppressing reports about Hunter Biden's laptop prior to the 2020 presidential election. Zuckerberg said the FBI 'warned' Meta about 'a potential Russian disinformation operation' but that, in retrospect, Meta 'shouldn't have demoted the story.'^[3]
• The White House responded, saying it 'encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety' and believes tech companies 'should take into account' how its actions affect people 'while making independent choices' about what content they dispense.^[4][1]
• This comes after a June 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court that sided with the Biden administration in a case brought by conservative groups accusing the government of censorship through its alleged cajoling of social media platforms.^[5]

Sources: ^[1]Associated Press, ^[2]Independent, ^[3]New York Post, ^[4]CBS and ^[5]CNN.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by PJ Media. This is a victory for free speech in the US and around the world. By standing up to government pressure, Zuckerberg is committing to allowing a free flow of ideas on his platforms, regardless of what side of the political spectrum those ideas come from. No government has the right to censor information it doesn't like.
• Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post and Newsweek. Meta knows how dangerous the misinformation it removed from its platform was, especially at the height of the pandemic. The Supreme Court has confirmed the administration's right to continue working with social media platforms, and Zuckerberg should take that as a responsibility his company has to protect the public.

Predictions