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1. Facebook, at the behest of climate science deniers, has created a massive loophole to its fact-checking program

The company is VERY reluctant to talk about it

It's not a pretty picture

Here is what we know

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
2. In May 2019, Facebook partnered with Science Feedback. It's a site that takes an EXTREMELY rigorous approach to fact-checking scientific information.

For each piece it reviews it brings in MULTIPLE PHD SCIENTISTS. It's the gold standard.

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
3. Then in August 2019, notorious climate science denier Pat Michaels published a piece in the Washington Examiner claiming scientific climate models were all wrong.

Science Feedback had 5 PHD CLIMATE SCIENTISTS review it. They rated it false.

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
4. As a result, Michaels' piece was labeled false on Facebook and its distribution was reduced.

But then a org w/close ties to the oil industry wrote Zuckerberg & demanded Facebook overrule Science Feedback

AND FACEBOOK DID. IT OVERRULED THE SCIENTISTS

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
5. Let me stop here and say this is not how the fact-checking program is supposed to work. Facebook is supposed to have no role in the appeals process. That's why Facebook refers to the fact-checkers as "independent"

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6. Facebook does this kind of stuff because it doesn't think people care about the details & prioritizes appeasing the right

You can help reverse this dynamic, & get more accountability journalism, by signing up for my newsletter, Popular Information

popular.info/subscribe
7. For this edition, I teamed up with @emorwee who writes the world's best climate newsletter, HEATED.

So if you care about the earth and maintaining a livable planet, you should sign up for her newsletter too: heated.world/subscribe

But I'm not done this thread either
8. The CO2 coalition, the group of climate science deniers who demanded Facebook overrule Science Feedback, says a "conservative" Facebook employee helped get it done

Facebook says that isn't true but will not say who made the decision

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
9. Last year, the WSJ reported that Facebook had decided to exempt "opinion" from fact-checking

Facebook however would not confirm this and has announced no such change

Its rules does not include such an exemption

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
10. Quite the opposite. The rules say its the factcheckers who decide whether something is a fact or an opinion.

The important part here is SAYING CLIMATE MODELS HAVE BEEN WRONG IS NOT AN OPINION

It's false information

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
11. But the climate science deniers say there is now an exemption for "opinion" that it will exploit and they are very excited about it because mainstream media won't print their misinfo anymore and now Facebook will be open season

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
12. Anyway, @emorwee talked to a bunch of climate science experts about this and, as you might expect, they aren't thrilled about all this

I'll let you read the piece for all the quotes because I won't do them justice here

popular.info/p/facebook-cre…
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Judd Legum
@JuddLegum
1. There's a dirty secret behind the extraordinary success of @benshapiro on Facebook

The Daily Wire has an undisclosed relationship with Facebook pages owned by Mad World News — a notorious site that exploits Facebook's algorithm w/racism & violence

popular.info/p/the-dirty-se…
@benshapiro 2. The Daily Wire is ridiculously successful on Facebook. In May, it received as much distribution on Facebook at the NYT! And more than the WashPost!

And it does this with a small staff that aggregates content

But this actually UNDERSTATES its success

popular.info/p/the-dirty-se…
@benshapiro 3. The Daily Wire published just 1,141 in May. The NYT published 15,587.

On a per article basis, The Daily Wire received more distribution on Facebook than any other publisher.

And it's not close.

popular.info/p/the-dirty-se…
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Judd Legum
@JuddLegum
1. Several corporations who have publicly championed Black Lives Matter are quietly paying 6-figures annually to right-wing activist @mschlapp

Schlapp, who has an ugly racial history, has spent weeks smearing and insulting Black Lives Matter

popular.info/p/a-schlapp-in…
@mschlapp 2. @Verizon has tweeted repeatedly in support of Black Lives Matter protests and said it is "taking a stand, pairing words with actions, and walking the walk"

It has also paid Schlapp 800K over 7 years, including 40K in the first 3 months of 2020

popular.info/p/a-schlapp-in…
3. On Friday, I asked @Verizon its support for Black Lives Matter was consistent with its decision to pay Schlapp to represent the company in Congress

On Sunday, @Verizon told me that it no longer has a contract with Schlapp

popular.info/p/a-schlapp-in…
Read 10 tweets
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Judd Legum
@JuddLegum
1. A man charged this week w/murdering an officer was a member of several Facebook Boogaloo groups

He met his accomplice on Facebook

Facebook now says it's acting to reduce the spread of Boogaloo groups

But it's not following through

I have receipts

popular.info/p/murder-expos…
2. Facebook says it will no longer include Boogaloo groups in its "recommendation engine."

But on Facebook yesterday, I was repeatedly recommended Boogaloo pages on Facebook

Again. And again. And again.

popular.info/p/murder-expos…
3. This process of pushing someone who joins or visits one Boogaloo page to more and more Boogaloo pages is how people become radicalized online.

Facebook says it takes time to exclude new pages

But I was recommended pages created last October

popular.info/p/murder-expos…
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