Facebook warned Breitbart News on Friday that the author of a completely factual story concerning the accuser of Alabama Senate candidate Judge Roy Moore needed to consult “additional reporting” from the liberal fact-checker Politifact.
The story, published on Friday morning, detailed how Beverly Young Nelson, who accused Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, admitted to adding “notes” to part of her yearbook, which she claims Moore signed.
This revelation came despite Nelson claiming at her initial press conference alongside her lawyer Gloria Allred, that the entire yearbook document was solely Moore’s handwriting.
In a message sent to Breitbart News’s Facebook page, the company warned that there was “additional reporting” from liberal fact-checker Politifact on the issue.
“Before you share this content, you might want to know that there is additional reporting on this from PolitiFact,” the message read.
This message is now sent to everyone who tries to share the link.
“A conspiracy-minded website attempted to cast doubt on the evidence presented by one of eight women who accused Roy Moore of sexual assault in a misleading headline days ahead of the Alabama Senate race,” Politifact wrote about the incident.
“Nelson says she added the time and location to the inscription. But she says the note and signature were from Moore,” the article continues. “That’s not what the headlines of the Gateway Pundit, Breitbart or Silence is Consent. All three say Nelson said she either tampered with Moore’s signature or forged the inscription. There’s no evidence of that.”
Facebook’s warning is part of a broader plan announced last year by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to begin adding warning labels on stories they deem to be false, with the help of partisan “fact-checking” organizations such as Snopes and PolitiFact.
Breitbart News has reached out to Facebook for comment, although no reply was received by the time of publication.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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