Facebook Fact-Checker Censors Pro-Trump Ad for ‘Missing Context’ on Biden Tax Plan

September 18th, 2020 4:10 PM

Facebook’s left-wing fact-checking network, masquerading as unbiased, censored yet another pro-Trump ad. The ad snarkily suggested that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden “accidentally” told the truth in stating that Americans taxes would be raised if he is elected.  

PolitiFact, one of the 10 U.S. fact-checkers for Facebook, marked the 30-second ad criticizing Biden’s tax policy as “Mostly False” for missing context, leading to its ban from the platform.

“Guess what, if you elect me, you’re not— your taxes are going to be raised, not cut,” said Joe Biden in one of the advertisement’s contested claims. 

Despite PolitiFact admitting Biden would raise taxes for “all income groups,” the fact-check says the ad gives the wrong impression. The critique said Biden’s policy would raise taxes on the nation’s “biggest earners” while an increase on the lower-income groups would be “relatively small.” 

PolitiFact also disproved its second contested claim that Biden’s tax proposal carries more than double the increases proposed by Hillary Clinton in 2016. “‘That’s accurate,’ said Gordon Mermin, a senior research associate at the Tax Policy Center,” the report stated.

Facebook’s so-called non-partisan and transparent fact-checkers have a history of defending the left while cracking down on the right.

Over a 10-day period, shortly after Biden selected Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, content on Harris was fact-checked 63 times by nine different fact-checkers. An overwhelming 60 of those fact-checks were marked in favor of Harris, leading to the censorship of posts across Facebook and Instagram.

In August, Facebook announced new guidelines for policing opinionated content that contains “missing context.” Andy Stone, Facebook’s Policy Communication Manager, said on Twitter, “While opinion content generally isn't eligible to be assessed, content presented as opinion but based on underlying false information - even if it’s an op-ed or editorial - can be reviewed by third-party fact-checkers.”

Deciding what’s true has become a political tool. Facebook’s use of that tool has seen a lot of changes nearing the 2020 presidential election in November, offering a poignant example for anyone unsure of Big Tech’s motives.   

Conservatives are under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at 1-650-308-7300 or 1-650-543-4800 and demand that the platform provide equal footing for conservatives. Companies need to make equal room for conservative groups as advisers to offset this bias. That same attitude should be applied to employment diversity efforts. Tech companies need to embrace viewpoint diversity. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.