Skip to main content
  • Online media
  • Iran
  • Epstein
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search
  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives
  • Online media
  • Iran
  • Epstein
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Facebook_Ads_False_News.png

Melissa Joskow / Media Matters

Facebook's political ad ban before Election Day is a public relations stunt

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published 09/03/20 9:53 AM EDT

This morning, Facebook announced a new policy saying that it would bar new political ads one week before Election Day. 

In reaction to this announcement, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone issued the following statement:

Facebook’s new ad policy announcement is designed to fool the media and the public into thinking the company is taking disinformation seriously; this new policy is pointless - and may even do more harm than good.

For starters, of all of the issues with disinformation and extremism on Facebook -- political ads are at the bottom of the list. Facebook’s signal-boosting right-wingers and lax policy enforcement are much bigger issues: It wasn't Facebook’s political ads that brought the Kenosha killer to Wisconsin, after all.

Make no mistake -- you can still spread misinformation with political ads on Facebook, you just can’t do it with NEW ads just ONE week before Election Day. According to this new policy, political ads that have at least one impression prior to October 27th can be rerun and re-targeted to new groups during the week of Election Day.  

Facebook’s policy will only further empower those seeking to do harm, while weakening the ability of outside forces to counteract attacks and misinformation, something that has proven necessary given Facebook's weak enforcement. 

This is just another PR stunt from Facebook. Don’t buy it.

Media Matters named Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Misinformer of the Year back in 2017.

 

The Latest

  1. Alex Jones: Infowars will be shutting down in “the middle of next month”

    Video & Audio 03/16/26 2:56 PM EDT

  2. Tim Dillon says “war criminal” Pete Hegseth is “a truly contemptible figure who should resign”

    Video & Audio 03/16/26 2:52 PM EDT

  3. Megyn Kelly on Mark Levin: “We used to laugh at him behind the scenes at Fox”

    Video & Audio 03/16/26 2:46 PM EDT

  4. Megyn Kelly on Trump administration: “If you wanted to destroy the country, you wouldn't behave differently”

    Video & Audio 03/16/26 1:57 PM EDT

  5. The Trump administration demands American press propagandize his Iran war

    Narrative/Timeline 03/16/26 1:47 PM EDT

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • Facebook / Meta

    Facebook-MMFA-Tag.png
  • Angelo Carusone

    Angelo Carusone

Related

  1. On MSNOW, Angelo Carusone discusses grave First Amendment consequences of the Trump administration trying to control major media organizations

    Video & Audio 03/16/26 11:01 AM EDT

  2. On Deadline: White House, Angelo Carusone discusses the consequence of right-wing dissent on the Iran war: “When you have narrative dominance ... you can shape the vibes”

    Video & Audio 03/11/26 6:53 PM EDT

  3. On The Weeknight, Angelo Carusone discusses the “fracturing” in MAGA media over Trump's war in Iran

    Video & Audio 03/10/26 7:51 PM EDT

Media Matters for America

Sign Up for Email Updates
  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS

© 2026 Media Matters for America

RSS