Skip to main content
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • 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
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • 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. Steve Bannon on new WSJ story on Trump and Epstein: “The Wall Street Journal is the enemy”

    Video & Audio 07/23/25 5:45 PM EDT

  2. Matt Walsh: Trump's push to change the Washington Commanders' name is an “unsubtle attempt to change the subject” from Epstein

    Video & Audio 07/23/25 4:39 PM EDT

  3. Fox News has mentioned Obama over 3 times more than Epstein since Tulsi Gabbard released her report

    Research/Study 07/23/25 4:07 PM EDT

  4. Right-wing media use Tulsi Gabbard's flimsy memo to call for imprisoning Obama

    Research/Study 07/23/25 12:30 PM EDT

  5. As Trump struggles to deflect from reporting on his Epstein ties, MAGA media set their sights on the press

    Article 07/23/25 11:57 AM EDT

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Current page 27
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • Facebook / Meta

    Facebook-MMFA-Tag.png
  • Angelo Carusone

    Angelo Carusone

Related

  1. Media Matters wins preliminary injunction against retaliatory FTC investigation

    Article 08/15/25 6:46 PM EDT

  2. On MSNBC's Deadline: White House, Angelo Carusone explains how Trump's ties to Epstein are creating riffs with his podcast allies

    Video & Audio 08/05/25 6:03 PM EDT

  3. On MSNBC, Angelo Carusone discusses how right-wing media have for years dreamt of prosecuting Democrats over Russiagate

    Video & Audio 08/04/25 8:41 PM EDT

Media Matters for America

Sign up for email updates
  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS

© 2025 Media Matters for America

RSS