Media Matters for America, a left-wing advocacy group, has been working in secret with social media conglomerate Facebook to crack down on so-called “fake news,” the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday.
The organization, founded by Hillary Clinton ally and notorious hair freak David Brock, announced at a donor retreat in Florida last week that it had been in talks with Facebook executives about reforming its policies with respect to “fake news” — articles deemed false or excessively partisan.
“We’ve been engaging with Facebook leadership behind the scenes to share our expertise and offer input on developing meaningful solutions,” Media Matters told donors, according to a briefing pamphlet obtained by the Free Beacon.
Many liberals, including David Brock, have suggested that the prominence of fake news on social media outlets such as Facebook contributed to Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the presidential election. Conservatives, meanwhile, have criticized Facebook for ignoring right-leaning media sources, and note that some liberals have argued that mainstream conservative website should qualify as “fake news.”
Media Matters reportedly described itself to prospective donors as “the top watchdog against fake news and propaganda.” During the 2016 presidential campaign, the group launched a petition to pressure Facebook to address the problem of “fake news.”
Democratic strategists are reportedly losing patience with Brock, who has volunteered to help the party reform and regroup after its humiliating defeat in 2016. “I met with [David Brock] a couple times—he’s f***ing weird,” a former Obama administration official told the Daily Beast.
TAKE THE POLL