EXCLUSIVE: Facebook Slaps Absurd Fact-Check Warning Over Founder of Act for America’s Post

Facebook shrouded one of Brigitte Gabriel’s posts with a phony fact-check warning. Did the platform’s algorithm fail again? 

In an exclusive comment, ACT for America founder Brigitte Gabriel told MRC Free Speech America that “[w]hile PolitiFact and Facebook’s AI clearly made the wrong call on this post and you fully expect the rating to be removed, this exposes the flawed system with how it targets conservative pages and thought specifically.” Facebook fact-checker PolitiFact claimed that Gabriel misattributed and misquoted a statement that had no quotation marks around it. Facebook initially covered Gabriel’s post with an interstitial and warned users of false information. The interstitial was later removed and the fact checked on the post. This happened after MRC Free Speech America notified it.

Gabriel posted a quote graphic that included a picture of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) along with the words: “[s]o, if we lie to the government it’s a felony. But if they lie to us it’s politics.” Users could only view Gabriel’s post if they clicked through a warning that read: “The same false information was checked in another post by fact-checkers. There may be small differences.” The warning attached an article that Facebook fact-checking partner PolitiFact published over two years ago to correct a different graphic entirely.

Fact-check claimed that many users misattributed the quote in dispute to Bill Murray. PolitiFact claimed it “found no credible source crediting Murray.”

Gabriel did not, however, attribute Murray’s quote to Gabriel or any other person. 

The post merely included the quote graphic and her comment: “The Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves!”

Later, she responded to our fact-check Twitter. “Facebook ‘Fact Checkers’ just said my graphic was false because there is no evidence Bill Murray said this quote. It’s cool that I didn’t say that. @PolitiFact“What do you think?

Gabriel’s reach can be limited by facts-checking. The platform openly admitted that it “significantly reduces the content’s distribution so that fewer people see [fact-checked posts].” The Associated Press It was reported by Facebook in 2020 that its interstitial alerts had prevented 95 percent users from clicking on content it conceals.

Gabriel explained the problems interstitials pose for Facebook users. “Brigitte Gabriel has the resources and ability to fight back against this censorship,” she said, “but Joe the plumber does not.”

ACT for America is a member the Free Speech Alliance. 

Facebook did not reply to MRC Free Speech America’s request for comment at the publication time.

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