Don't Let Me Lie To You

Did you know that if I try to share and spread fake news as a regular American citizen then my posts will be fact-checked and possibly even banned by Facebook?

But, did you know that if I share that same fake news on EveryLibrary’s Facebook then it will be allowed to proliferate and spread to our 300,000 followers and we can even run high-priced ads to highly targeted Americans and spread that misinformation even further?

The problem isn't that Facebook fact-checks content on their platform. It's that they fact-check the wrong people.

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You see, according to Facebook’s policies, as Political Director of a national political organization that reaches millions of Americans every single week, I am allowed to share and spread as much fake news as I want (Not that I ever do! We don’t share fake news) to our following of hundreds of thousands of Americans. But, as a regular citizen, my posts will be fact-checked, hidden, or even banned, and my organic post “reach” will be minimized by Facebook. This isn’t some technical discussion about the Facebook algorithm. It’s a problem for our democracy and society. 

Simply put, politicians and special interest groups are given a license to lie from Facebook. That's why we launched this petition.

When one of the most powerful, far-reaching, and well-funded companies on the planet allows corrupt political actors to remain in power through outright lies and propaganda, we have a crisis on our hands. Our political organizations, politicians, and political operatives should not be allowed to spread fake news under the guise of First Amendment Rights when everyday American citizens are not. We believe that the same rules that apply to me personally, should apply to the organization I run - and vice versa.

Honestly, I’d rather American citizens made up their minds about the truth and I’d rather not run this petition at all. But that’s not possible when outright lies and mistruths are spread by organizations with significant reach, power, and funding to put that fake news in front of millions of Americans - just with the click of a button. Especially considering that many of these organizations may be outside agitators who are looking to influence American elections. That’s why we’re asking Facebook to fact-check and restrict political organizations in the same way that Facebook checks and restricts us as citizens.

Please, take a moment and sign and share the petition asking Facebook to fact-check our nation’s most powerful and influential political leaders and organizations. We want to be held accountable and we need your help to hold other political organizations to account as well.