Facebook Suppressed ‘Often-True Content’ on COVID-19 Jabs, According to White House Emails

In the latest developments in Missouri v. Biden, Facebook told a Biden White House official that the company suppressed the “virality” of “often-true content” regarding the COVID-19 jabs.

The email is in documents released this week by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

Bailey acquired the documents through the Missouri v. Biden court case, alleging that top Biden officials “colluded with Big Tech social media companies to violate Americans’ right to free speech under the First Amendment.”

“In an email to the White House dated March 21, 2021, a Facebook staff member discussed ‘levers for tackling vaccine hesitancy content’ with Andrew Slavitt, then a senior adviser on Biden’s COVID-19 response team, and Rob Flaherty, White House director of digital strategy,” the Daily Signal reports.

“You also asked us about our levers for reducing virality of vaccine hesitancy content,” wrote the Facebook staffer, whose identity was redacted.

“As you know, in addition to removing vaccine misinformation, we have been focused on reducing the virality of content discouraging vaccines that does not contain actionable information. This is often-true content, which we allow at the post level because it is important for people to be able to discuss both their personal experiences and concerns about the vaccine, but it can be framed as sensation, alarmist, or shocking.”

“We’ll remove these Groups, Pages, and Accounts when they are disproportionately promoting this sensationalized content,” the Facebook staffer added.

DEVELOPING: In emails to the White House, Facebook said it suppressed "often-true content" on COVID-19 vaccines, following Biden administration pressure against "vaccine hesitancy." https://t.co/ChNcM4o3Le

— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) January 12, 2023

In emails to White House, Facebook admits suppressing ‘often-true content’ on COVID-19 vaccines https://t.co/PaH5da2ZG3

— Just the News (@JustTheNews) January 13, 2023

“I want to protect Missourians and the freedoms they enjoy, which is why as attorney general, I will always defend the Constitution,” Bailey told The Daily Signal in an email Thursday.

“This case is about the Biden administration’s blatant disregard for the First Amendment and its collusion with Big Tech social media companies to suppress speech it disagrees with.”

In regard to “anti-vax” posts, White House Digital Director Rob Flaherty tells Facebook that “slowing it down seems reasonable” (2/10) pic.twitter.com/xN03Ae6r6K

— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 10, 2023

Flaherty tells Twitter that “if your product is appending misinformation to our tweets that seems like a pretty fundamental issue” (4/10) pic.twitter.com/QG2DpkosXc

— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 10, 2023

Facebook assures Flaherty that they “remove claims public health authorities tell us have been debunked or are unsupported by evidence” (6/10) pic.twitter.com/bkPM8zEIvc

— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 10, 2023

Flaherty demands that Facebook to step up its operations of “removing bad information” on vaccines (8/10) pic.twitter.com/AHiqPDL2h0

— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 10, 2023

“… suppress speech it disagrees with. I will always fight back against unelected bureaucrats who seek to indoctrinate the people of this state by violating our constitutional right to free and open debate.”  –@AGAndrewBailey (10/10)

— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 10, 2023

From Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office:

In order to protect the constitutional liberties of all Americans, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey continues to pursue litigation in Missouri v. Biden, a civil case demonstrating that top officials in the federal government colluded with Big tech social media companies to violate Americans’ right to free speech under the First Amendment. Today’s documents display White House Digital Director Robert Flaherty and his team’s efforts to censor opposing viewpoints on major social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

cont.

Exhibits include:

• The White House asks Twitter to censor Robert Kennedy, Jr., a known critic of the White House’s COVID-19 narrative
• The White House directs Facebook to shut down conservative voices Tucker Carlson and Tomi Lahren
• White House Digital Director Flaherty scolds Facebook, saying that he “really couldn’t care less about products unless they’re having measureable impact” at suppressing speech
• Flaherty informs Facebook that “misinformation around the vaccine” is “a concern shared at the highest (and I mean highest) level of the WH”
• Flaherty demands that Facebook to step up its operations of “removing bad information” on vaccines
• In regard to “anti-vax” posts, Flaherty tells Facebook that “slowing it down seems reasonable”
• Facebook assures Flaherty that “in addition to removing vaccine misinformation, we have been focused on reducing the virality of content discouraging vaccines that does not contain actionable misinformation,” including “often-true content”
• Flaherty vehemently disagrees with Facebook’s decision not to take down a Tucker Carlson video on COVID-19 vaccines, stating “not for nothing but last time we did this dance, it ended in an insurrection”
• Flaherty tells Twitter that “if your product is appending misinformation to our tweets that seems like a pretty fundamental issue”
• Facebook assures Flaherty that they “remove claims public health authorities tell us have been debunked or are unsupported by evidence”
• Flaherty accuses Twitter of “Total Calvinball” and “bending over backwards” to tolerate disfavored speech after Twitter refuses to comply with White House demands to censor a video

The Daily Signal added:

In this email to the White House, the Facebook representative admitted to preventing exposure of content that doesn’t violate Facebook’s policies—content that isn’t “actionable.” The staffer also suggested that the White House had asked Facebook to take these measures.

In an April 22, 2021, email, Flaherty told Google staff that the White House remains “concerned that Youtube [sic] is ‘funneling’ people into hesitance and intensifying people’s hesitancy. We certainly recognize that removing content that is unfavorable to the cause of increasing vaccine adoption is not a realistic—or even good—solution.”

The White House’s digital strategy chief added that combating vaccine hesitancy “is a concern that is shared at the highest (and I mean highest) levels of the WH [White House],” an apparent reference to the president himself.

In an April 14, 2021, email to Facebook, Flaherty suggested the social media platform should take action to suppress Fox News host Tucker Carlson and conservative journalist Tomi Lahren.

“Since we’ve been on the phone—the top post about vaccines today is tucker [sic] Carlson saying they don’t work,” Flaherty wrote. “Yesterday was Tomi Lehren [sic] saying she won’t take one. This is exactly why I want to know what ‘Reduction’ actually looks like—if ‘reduction’ means ‘pumping our most vaccine hesitant audience with tucker [sic] Carlson saying it doesn’t work’ then … I’m not sure it’s reduction!”