WASHINGTON — Question:
Did Facebook really ban the video of Sen. Tom Cotton speaking about the coronavirus?
Answer:
No. Facebook told the Verify Team that this appears to be a complete fabrication.
Sources:
Spokesperson for Facebook
A spokesperson for Sen. Tom Cotton
Process:
When discussing social media misinformation, most think about public comments, like a Facebook post or a public Tweet. But there's a whole other brand of misinformation, defined by person-to-person interactions.
A viewer sent The Verify Team a message that's being spread on Facebook Messenger. The message links to a recent video of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), talking about coronavirus, along with the following message:
The message claims that Facebook has banned the video and suggested that posting it on your wall will get you banned, and the video removed.
To find out if this rumor is true, The Verify Team reached out to Facebook. A communications manager said that the rumor was false.
"I can confirm that no action has been taken against that video," he said.
The communications director for Sen. Tom Cotton confirmed this for the Verify Team.
"The video is still on our Facebook page," the spokesperson said. "And we haven't seen any indication that it's been taken down."
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