Super PAC American Values 2024 to sue Meta for "blatantly censoring" RFK Jr.'s biographical film

By lauraharris // 2024-05-10

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The super PAC backing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced its plan to sue Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for "blatantly censoring" the new biographical film about RFK Jr. and his journey in fighting against corporate corruption. American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting RFK Jr.'s presidential bid, acquired the 30-minute film "Who is Bobby Kennedy?" produced by director Mike Piscitelli and creator Jay Carson, known for his work on Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show." The film, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, delves into the life and motivations of RFK Jr. for seeking the presidency. However, American Values 2024 posted on Substack that many viewers encountered difficulties sharing the film on Facebook and Instagram after it premiered on YouTube on May 3. In many other cases, Meta also suspended user accounts for two to six days for attempting to share the film. "When social media companies censor a presidential candidate, the public can't learn what that candidate actually believes and what policies they would pursue if elected," said Tony Lyons, the founder of American Values 2024. "We are left with the propaganda of lies from the most powerful and most corrupt groups and individuals." (Related: Insta-BANNED: RFK Jr. campaign accounts immediately SUSPENDED by Instagram for 6 months.) According to a press release from the presidential campaign team of RFK Jr., Meta provided the team with inconsistent explanations. Some were informed that the video was spam, while others were warned about links to malicious websites or graphic and violent content. Meanwhile, other viewers were informed of violations of community standards, while others received error messages indicating failed uploads. Meta eventually allowed users to share the video, but the platform continued to algorithmically suppress it to the extent that even users with thousands of followers saw zero views upon posting. In turn, the campaign team compiled screenshots from affected users and included a selection in their press release. "If supporters of all candidates do not have equal access to the digital public square, then we have a democracy in name only," RFK Jr. said in the press release. "This goes beyond restricting freedom of expression on issues and ideas. Meta is censoring a biographical film about a major candidate in an election year. How can voters make an informed choice if they are denied basic information about a candidate’s life?"

Meta denies censorship of RFK Jr.'s political ad campaign

Meta, however, has claimed that the blocking of the film was due to it being inaccurately flagged as spam and was quickly rectified. "It was mistakenly blocked, and it was corrected within a few hours," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said on May 5. Children's Health Defense asked Meta to clarify if there was an "error in the spam-finding algorithm" or something in the content that "looks like spam" that it had mistakenly flagged the video as spam and whether the company had already issued an official apology for the mistake, but the site only received a similar response. "Thank you for reaching out. The link was mistakenly blocked and was quickly restored once the issue was discovered," Meta spokesperson Corey Chambliss said. But despite the denial, American Values 2024 and the campaign team of RFK Jr. still plan to sue Meta in federal court for censorship and violation of First Amendment rights to free speech. Banned.news has more stories about RFK Jr. and others being suspended on social media platforms. Watch Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reiterating his willingness to die for Americans' right to speak during the ReAwaken America Tour. This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

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Meta denies censorship of RFK Jr.'s political ad campaign

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