On Thursday 4th November, we launched our latest report demonstrating the extent of climate misinformation on Facebook. With the help of tools and expertise from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the Centre for Analysis of Social Media (CASM), and the support of the Real Facebook Oversight Board and SumOfUs, “In Denial” brings fresh evidence of Facebook’s climate denial problem, following up our report earlier in the year “On The Back Burner”.
The response we got was thunderous – we were featured in major newspapers and TV channels across the world and countless tags and reshares on Twitter for a wide variety of businesses, charities and activists.
Giant Melting Ice Block Placed Before Congress
Off the back of our study, SumofUs, a campaigning organization working to curb the growing power of corporations, in partnership with The Real Facebook Oversight Board, placed a 5000lb block of recycled ice outside Congress. As the ice melted, the block revealed flames and Facebook’s logo, representing the ‘flood’ of disinformation across Facebook’s platforms.
Rewan Al-Haddad, campaigns advisor for SumOfUs, said “The flood of disinformation unleashed by Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook is drowning audiences around the world, with more than 1.3m views of climate misinformation each day.”
The Real Facebook Oversight Board published a blog and said “Facebook cannot and will not police themselves. We need real, independent, transparent outside oversight and regulation and an investigation into all of Facebook’s activities – including the dangerous spread of climate disinformation.”
Global Coverage
You can read about the report in the following English-language articles:
The Guardian
The BBC
The Independent
Washington Post
EuroNews
EurActiv
The Hill
Grist
EcoWatch
The Verge
Vice
Logically.ai
Jerusalem Post
Our report also featured in national coverage, news articles, TV, radio and blogs in at least 28 countries and territories, including the USA, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, China, Japan, Israel and Brazil.
Special Mentions
We got recognition from a wide range of stakeholders in civil society and policymakers too.
Vice President of the European Green Party, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield.
Greenpeace’s Chief Scientist, Doug Parr.
The Union of Concerned Scientists; a member-supported nonprofit that’s fighting for a safer and healthier world.
The Social Dilemma; who’s film features on Netflix now.
Accountable Tech; a company working to tackle the threat social media companies pose to our information ecosystem and democracy.
Massive Attack, a famous Bristol-based electronic band.
Congressman Sean Casten, Illinois 6th District.