IOWA SETS RECORD STRAIGHT
Iowa’s Republican secretary of State is disputing a viral claim from a Washington, D.C.-based conservative group in an attempt to kneecap the spread of election-related misinformation ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday night.
In a press release, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said the group, Judicial Watch, is feeding a “misinformation campaign” as its leaders and followers continue to spread a debunked report that alleges eight Iowa counties have total registration rates larger than their eligible voting population.
“It’s unfortunate this organization continues to put out inaccurate data regarding voter registration, and it’s especially disconcerting they chose the day of the Iowa Caucus to do this,” Pate said in a statement.
“My office has told this organization, and others who have made similar claims, that their data regarding Iowa is deeply flawed and their false claims erode voter confidence in elections,” he added. “They should stop this misinformation campaign immediately and quit trying to disenfranchise Iowa voters.”
Judicial Watch did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
STEPHEN KING OUT: Author Stephen King announced over the weekend that he was quitting Facebook over the social media platform’s privacy issues and failure to forbid misinformation in political advertising.
“I’m quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false information that’s allowed in its political advertising, nor am I confident in its ability to protect its users’ privacy. Follow me (and Molly, aka The Thing of Evil) on Twitter, if you like,” King tweeted Friday, referencing his corgi.
Critics of the social media giant have castigated it for its policy of not fact-checking political ads. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign was among those voicing criticism, blasting Facebook last October for allowing a spot from President Trump’s reelection campaign that falsely claimed Biden “promised Ukraine a billion dollars if they fired the prosecutor investigating his son’s company.”
During a round of questioning from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was unable to answer whether, for example, she would be permitted to run ads targeting Republicans in primaries by claiming they voted for her Green New Deal policy proposals.
