Kennedy Super PAC to Sue Meta
The Kennedy Beacon | May 6, 2024
American Values2024 (AV24), the super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president, will file a lawsuit later this week against Meta, the social media behemoth that owns Facebook and Instagram.
The action follows Meta’s blatant censorship of “Who Is Bobby Kennedy?” –– an intimate, 30-minute
The super PAC purchased the film and launched it on May 3, using YouTube as the host, on the website: https://whoisbobbykennedy.com/
But as Facebook and Instagram users tried to share the film link, many discovered they couldn’t. They were notified that there was a problem with the link, which isn’t the case; later, they were informed that the link was removed because it goes against Instagram’s “Community Guidelines” due to one of the following transgressions: “spam”; “support or praise of terrorism, organized crime or hate groups”; “solicitation of sexual services”; and “sale of firearms and drugs.”
The film is none of the above.
In addition, the film’s reach on Facebook and Instagram has been minimal, a sign of “shadow banning,” a method that platforms use (relying on algorithms) to suppress the organic reach of content they don’t want to spread.
The film censorship went beyond Meta: Internet and social media czars quickly slapped the video with a COVID-19 Vaccine disclaimer, referring users to the World Health Organization (WHO) website.
“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, co-founder of AV24. “We are left with the propaganda and lies from the most powerful and most corrupt groups and individuals. This is the hallmark of an oligarchy—not a democracy.”
However, Lyons praised X for allowing its users to share “Who Is Bobby Kennedy?”
“American democracy needs X,” Lyons said. “Our country was built on the principle of enabling free and open exchanges in the marketplace of ideas. Today, X is one of the only platforms upholding that vital tradition.”
Of the censorship on Facebook and Instagram, Jay Carson said, “There is no form of speech more carefully protected in America than political speech. Silicon Valley companies blocking political ads with which they don’t agree, while giving shifting and dissembling answers as to why they’re doing it, strikes at the heart of our democracy.”
Continued Carson: “From Ross Perot to President Obama, political infomercials for presidential candidates have a rich and effective history in American politics. We set out to make a modern version of that format, and Facebook and Instagram then banned it, blocked it, and made it impossible to see. Had cable TV turned off Perot’s infomercial in 1992 or Obama’s in 2008, it would have been viewed with outrage, and Facebook’s and Instagram’s actions are similarly outrageous.”
Late Sunday, Andy Stone, a spokesman for Meta, claimed to The New York Times that the link to the film had been incorrectly flagged as spam.
About AMERICAN VALUES 2024 (AV24)
American Values 2024 (AV24) is a super PAC committed to educating and mobilizing voters to elect candidates who will restore and protect the soul of democracy in the United States. Our long-term vision is to build a movement starting at the local level to create a national groundswell to address the critical issues our country faces. Today, AV24 supports Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. AV24 is co-founded by Mark Gorton (Chairman of Tower Research Capital) and Tony Lyons (President of Skyhorse Publishing).
AV24 funds The Kennedy Beacon.
