Facebook and the facts

Facebook announced it won't fact check political advertising while Twitter announced its ban on all political advertising. What role do these platforms play in our democracy?

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Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. Two days later, Zuckerberg's social media giant announced it is launching a section of its site specifically dedicated to news. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. Two days later, Zuckerberg's social media giant announced it is launching a section of its site specifically dedicated to news. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook announced that it won’t fact check political advertising. Facing a chorus of criticism, Mark Zuckerberg defended his policy last week saying that “in a democracy, I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians, or the news.” In contrast, Twitter recently announced that it would ban all political advertising on its platform.  This hour, should social media companies moderate political content? What role do these platforms play in our democracy? And how do users choose, process, and spread information and misinformation online? Our guests are BRENDAN NYHAN, professor of government at Dartmouth, and ELLEN GOODMAN, professor of law at Rutgers University Law School.

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