Every person who believes in a free press should pay attention to Facebook’s war with one of their own groups called “LUV News.”
My own Democratic senator, Mark Warner, who sees evil Russians in every nook and cranny when he’s not trying to figure out a way to blame Social Security and Medicare for the national debt, is leading the way for the government to crack down on social media, warning that the “era of Wild West is ending.” This has sent fear into the executives heading social media platforms.
Consequently such threats have resulted in social media platforms like Facebook hunting for phantoms spreading “fake news.” One of their targets has become the group, LUV News.
Since 1998, LUV News has existed in one form or another to get information out around the corporate-viewpoint media. Currently it only exists as a group on Facebook by that name.
Each day, many of LUV News’ few thousand members participate in posting articles censored by the mainstream press. There are also political cartoons and leftist memes to lighten the seriousness and make visits more fun.
I believe the articles are in the highest tradition of a truly free press.
They show war crimes and human rights abuses covered up by the mainstream press.
They show civil rights abuses covered up by the mainstream press.
They show corporate pollution covered up by the mainstream press.
They show countless other things that the corporate-viewpoint media hide on behalf of their owners, board members and advertisers.
The group moderators believe that the world would be a better place if the public interest information at LUV News got to average citizens, who are kept in the dark by the mainstream press on behalf of owners, board members and advertisers.
Facebook does not see this the same way and goes on the attack, assuming that since LUV News is so different from the mainstream corporate-viewpoint media, it must be fake.
To be fair to Facebook, they have been under attack themselves since the 2016 presidential election and accused of spreading “fake news” by the likes of Senator Warner. Rarely, if ever, are those who make such charges required to be specific about what the fake news might be or where we can find it.
Often, the fake news is said to come from the Russians. It seems the Russians have bought advertising at Facebook, and are said by those spreading this fake news line to have influenced American elections.
At LUV News we believe this is ridiculous, and that all of the Russian money anyone can find pales in comparison to money influencing our elections from any number of other more serious threats to democracy.
Environmental polluters spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
“Defense” cheats spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
Big Energy spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
Big Pharma spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
The Chamber of Commerce spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
A great many other groups spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
And these groups are responsible for serious corruption as they purchase control of our government with campaign bribes.
But Facebook is not under attack for taking money from business groups, only for taking a small amount of money from Russians. And they are trying to defend themselves by cracking down on any who appear to be providing news that is different from what the corporate-viewpoint media dish.
Hence, LUV News has become a major target.
In the past six months or so, Facebook has done what they could to cut down the activity at LUV News Facebook group.
One of their more common tricks is to quit sending out notifications that someone has posted an article within the group. If nobody knows the article is there, nobody reads it. This is effective in slowly destroying the group.
Members complain and eventually notifications begin again, but they are never universal, that is to say some articles get notifications, most do not.
At times the moderators of the LUV News group have not been allowed to see posts within the group–blocked without an explanation by Facebook. After complaints are sent out this eventually gets fixed.
Facebook tries all manner of things to make it difficult for the LUV News group. At times no members may access posts.
“Why does Facebook do this?,” you might ask. As pointed out, they are under tremendous pressure from Congress, so are looking for “Fake News” groups in order to comply and keep from being burdened with government oversight. They have no idea that groups like the LUV News group put out public interest news, news that is vital in a healthy democracy.
Most Americans are unaware that their food standards are lower than any other major industrialized nation, because of a corrupt government, for example.
Most Americans are unaware that our wars are not to promote democracy and freedom as the propaganda goes, but to enrich wealthy plutocrats.
And they are unaware of countless things important to their well being.
LUV News tells the public these things, which is why the powers that be oppose social groups, and are trying to convince organizations like Facebook to crack down, so there is only one voice, the pro-war corporate-viewpoint media of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, PBS, MSNBC and the like.
And they don’t go after the serious fake news. The US government admits it puts out fake news over the Internet. The British put out fake news over the Internet. Facebook actually censors Palestinians at the request of the Israeli government.
Facebook takes advertising from corporations that are engaged in activities which go against the public interest, but these corporations are involved in supporting political campaigns of those who run our government, the very people insisting that Facebook go after “fake news.”
You can help by joining the LUV News Facebook group. Don’t expect to get notifications as other groups get when someone posts an article. If you go there in the morning you will find blockbuster articles and political cartoons, 7 days a week. Getting information out around the corporate viewpoint media to warn the public is the most democratic thing anyone may do in this dark age.
Jack Balkwill has been published from the little read Rectangle, magazine of the English Honor Society, to the (then) millions of readers USA Today and many progressive publications/web sites such as Z Magazine, In These Times, Counterpunch, This Can’t Be Happening, Intrepid Report, and Dissident Voice. He is author of “An Attack on the National Security State,” about peace activists in prison.
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Why you should care that Facebook is at war with LUV News
Posted on September 10, 2018 by Jack Balkwill
Every person who believes in a free press should pay attention to Facebook’s war with one of their own groups called “LUV News.”
My own Democratic senator, Mark Warner, who sees evil Russians in every nook and cranny when he’s not trying to figure out a way to blame Social Security and Medicare for the national debt, is leading the way for the government to crack down on social media, warning that the “era of Wild West is ending.” This has sent fear into the executives heading social media platforms.
Consequently such threats have resulted in social media platforms like Facebook hunting for phantoms spreading “fake news.” One of their targets has become the group, LUV News.
Since 1998, LUV News has existed in one form or another to get information out around the corporate-viewpoint media. Currently it only exists as a group on Facebook by that name.
Each day, many of LUV News’ few thousand members participate in posting articles censored by the mainstream press. There are also political cartoons and leftist memes to lighten the seriousness and make visits more fun.
I believe the articles are in the highest tradition of a truly free press.
They show war crimes and human rights abuses covered up by the mainstream press.
They show civil rights abuses covered up by the mainstream press.
They show corporate pollution covered up by the mainstream press.
They show countless other things that the corporate-viewpoint media hide on behalf of their owners, board members and advertisers.
The group moderators believe that the world would be a better place if the public interest information at LUV News got to average citizens, who are kept in the dark by the mainstream press on behalf of owners, board members and advertisers.
Facebook does not see this the same way and goes on the attack, assuming that since LUV News is so different from the mainstream corporate-viewpoint media, it must be fake.
To be fair to Facebook, they have been under attack themselves since the 2016 presidential election and accused of spreading “fake news” by the likes of Senator Warner. Rarely, if ever, are those who make such charges required to be specific about what the fake news might be or where we can find it.
Often, the fake news is said to come from the Russians. It seems the Russians have bought advertising at Facebook, and are said by those spreading this fake news line to have influenced American elections.
At LUV News we believe this is ridiculous, and that all of the Russian money anyone can find pales in comparison to money influencing our elections from any number of other more serious threats to democracy.
Environmental polluters spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
“Defense” cheats spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
Big Energy spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
Big Pharma spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
The Chamber of Commerce spends thousands of times more on influencing elections.
A great many other groups spend thousands of times more on influencing elections.
And these groups are responsible for serious corruption as they purchase control of our government with campaign bribes.
But Facebook is not under attack for taking money from business groups, only for taking a small amount of money from Russians. And they are trying to defend themselves by cracking down on any who appear to be providing news that is different from what the corporate-viewpoint media dish.
Hence, LUV News has become a major target.
In the past six months or so, Facebook has done what they could to cut down the activity at LUV News Facebook group.
One of their more common tricks is to quit sending out notifications that someone has posted an article within the group. If nobody knows the article is there, nobody reads it. This is effective in slowly destroying the group.
Members complain and eventually notifications begin again, but they are never universal, that is to say some articles get notifications, most do not.
At times the moderators of the LUV News group have not been allowed to see posts within the group–blocked without an explanation by Facebook. After complaints are sent out this eventually gets fixed.
Facebook tries all manner of things to make it difficult for the LUV News group. At times no members may access posts.
“Why does Facebook do this?,” you might ask. As pointed out, they are under tremendous pressure from Congress, so are looking for “Fake News” groups in order to comply and keep from being burdened with government oversight. They have no idea that groups like the LUV News group put out public interest news, news that is vital in a healthy democracy.
Most Americans are unaware that their food standards are lower than any other major industrialized nation, because of a corrupt government, for example.
Most Americans are unaware that our wars are not to promote democracy and freedom as the propaganda goes, but to enrich wealthy plutocrats.
And they are unaware of countless things important to their well being.
LUV News tells the public these things, which is why the powers that be oppose social groups, and are trying to convince organizations like Facebook to crack down, so there is only one voice, the pro-war corporate-viewpoint media of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, PBS, MSNBC and the like.
And they don’t go after the serious fake news. The US government admits it puts out fake news over the Internet. The British put out fake news over the Internet. Facebook actually censors Palestinians at the request of the Israeli government.
Facebook takes advertising from corporations that are engaged in activities which go against the public interest, but these corporations are involved in supporting political campaigns of those who run our government, the very people insisting that Facebook go after “fake news.”
You can help by joining the LUV News Facebook group. Don’t expect to get notifications as other groups get when someone posts an article. If you go there in the morning you will find blockbuster articles and political cartoons, 7 days a week. Getting information out around the corporate viewpoint media to warn the public is the most democratic thing anyone may do in this dark age.
Jack Balkwill has been published from the little read Rectangle, magazine of the English Honor Society, to the (then) millions of readers USA Today and many progressive publications/web sites such as Z Magazine, In These Times, Counterpunch, This Can’t Be Happening, Intrepid Report, and Dissident Voice. He is author of “An Attack on the National Security State,” about peace activists in prison.