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Biden Spokesman Calls for Further Censorship of Trump and His Supporters

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A Biden campaign staffer called for further censorship online, claiming Facebook is “shredding the fabric of our democracy” in the days after the election.

Bill Russo, deputy communications director for the Biden campaign, criticized Facebook’s handling of misinformation and calls for violence in a series of Monday tweets.

“If you thought disinformation on Facebook was a problem during our election, just wait until you see how it is shredding the fabric of our democracy in the days after,” Russo tweeted.

He first pointed to a video from Steve Bannon where he called for the heads of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci and FBI director Christopher Wray.

“I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England, I’d put the heads on pikes, right, I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats,” Bannon said, according to Business Insider.

Bannon was banned from Twitter, but Russo said it took too long for Facebook to take action and Bannon’s Facebook page is still live.

Russo also retweeted a Reuters article that showed Facebook Groups “flooded with thousands of calls for violence.”

“Some of them are taken down, but many are left up for hours, if not days,” he said.

Facebook had to shut down the rapidly growing “Stop the Steal” group on Nov. 5 as the forum called for members to “ready their weapons” if President Donald Trump lost the election, Reuters reported.

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Russo also criticized Facebook for not reducing the distribution of Breitbart for “multiple misinformation violations” and citing “debunked conspiracy theories” in relation to voter fraud claims.

“The result? Facebook-enabled mobilization of conspiracy theorists using ‘Stop the Steal’ groups ballooned to over 300k members, before finally being taken down under pressure,” he tweeted.

“After Facebook removed the initial group, multiple new ‘stop the steal’ groups formed and grew rapidly.”

Facebook has relaxed some of its “misinformation rules” and “strikes” from conservative pages in the wake of allegations of a bias against conservatives on its platform, NBC News reported.

Russo said that this has only lead to claims of “voter fraud” and “Trump’s election disinformation” being spread quickly across the platform.

“We knew this would happen. We pleaded with Facebook for over a year to be serious about these problems. They have not,” Russo concluded.

“Our democracy is on the line. We need answers.”

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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