Politics

Protesters again gather at Facebook to urge fact checking of political ads

by Linda Hubbard Gulker on January 18, 2020

Facebook users, investors, and neighbors gathered outside the Menlo Park-based company headquarters late yesterday afternoon demonstraitng against the company’s refusal to fact-check political ads run on their site.

“We are unhappy with [Facebook’s] decision to not fact check their political ads on their platform,” emailed Laura Stec of Bay Area Action. “We expect Facebook to righten this course as we approach the 2020 presidential election.
“Moreover, a greater issue is facing society. A weakening of important standards such as truth and facts poison our democracy, discourse, media, and the body politic. As Fiona Hill, National Security professional for the Trump administration said during her Capital Hill testimony, ‘Do not propagate (political) disinformation. When you do, you are doing the work of Vladimir Putin.’
“Everyone is allowed to have their own opinions, but no one is allowed to have their own facts.

“In 2020, [we believe that Facebook] must pay up by either 1) fact-checking political ads being bought and broadcast across its site, or 2) eliminate political ads all together.”

Photo by Robb Most (c) 2020

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“Voting in the Primaries: What you need to know” is topic on Jan. 18

The Presidential Primary Election is March 3. Get election information, including how procedures in San Mateo County have changed since the last Presidential election on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Menlo Park Library.  

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Spotted: Raging Grannies and Trump balloon near Zott’s

Somewhere between 50 and 100 people showed up near the Alpine Inn in Portola Valley yesterday to protest President Donald Trump’s appearance at a fundraising event at Scott McNealy‘s home. Among the crowd, the Raging Grannies and people hoisting a Trump balloon. Photo by Rachel Podlishevsky, Pro Bono Photo

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Mark Fiore talks about the art of politics on Feb. 25

Febuary marks the Peninsula Libraries Comic Arts Fest. Libraries throughout San Mateo County will be offering a variety of special events including artist appearances, art classes, and film screenings. On Monday, Feb. 25, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at the Menlo Park main library (800 Alma St.), Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Mark Fiore will talk […]

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Karen McCann turns political with new book, Women of the American Resistance

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Supervisor Joe Simitian speaks about “Listening to Trump’s America: Bridging the Divide”

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Pam Salvatierra’s newest project is helping to launch DemFems Silicon Valley

From the moment Pam Salvatierra moved to Menlo Park in 1994, she’s been active in her community. Maybe it’s collecting toiletries for the homeless. Or hosting a house party to spotlight the good work of some non-profit. And then there’s politics, specifically the state Democratic Party along with working to get specific candidates elected. So […]

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M-A senior Holly Newman reflects on her time as a Senate Page

Editor’s note: We visited with Holly Newman, now a M-A senior, before she left for Washington, D.C. last winter to serve as a Senate Page. Home now, we caught up with her to hear about her experience in the nation’s Capital. Holly left Menlo Park last January excited to get a taste of politics. What […]

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Carol Mayer Marshall starts organization to help women get elected or appointed to office

Ask Menlo Park resident Carol Mayer Marshall who she is and her answer is swift: “I’m a politician and a feminist and an attorney.” She’s also a woman of firsts: The first woman Congressional Relations Director in any government agency, representing poverty program under Don Rumsfeld; the first woman Director, VISTA (Domestic Peace Corps), Nixon appointment with […]

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Spotted: Local youth on church mission trip visiting Anna Eshoo

Nine youth from Trinity Church in Menlo Park have been in Washington, DC, this past week on a mission trip that focused on homelessness. This morning they met with Congresswoman Anna Eshoo at her office on Capital Hill. The wrote on Facebook: “We appreciated your ear for our questions and concerns as well as providing us with […]

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Spotted: Sean Spicer hiding in the bushes in Menlo Park

One Menlo Park homeowner on Altschul near Avy is having some fun with the Sean Spicer hiding-in-the-bushes story. To refresh: After President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the president’s press secretary hid in the bushes and only emerged to talk to journalists in the near dark. The Washington Post later clarified that Spicer was “huddled […]

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