The Daily

Facebook vs. the White House

Jul 20, 2021

Cecilia Kang, a technology and regulatory policy correspondent for The New York Times, dives into the contentious relationship between Facebook and the Biden administration over COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. The discussion highlights the role of social media in shaping public health discourse. Kang explains how misinformation super spreaders are influencing vaccine hesitancy. She also critiques Facebook's measures against misinformation while addressing the platform's transparency issues and the clash between corporate responsibility and public health accountability.

24:26

Creator website

Episode guests

Cecilia Kang

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Tackling Vaccine Misinformation

6min

The Influence of Misinformation Super Spreaders on COVID-19 Discourse

3min

Navigating Vaccine Misinformation and Corporate Sponsorships

2min

Facebook's Battle Against Vaccine Misinformation

12min

Legal and Political Shifts: Vaccination Mandates and Haiti's Leadership

2min

Is misinformation on Facebook an impediment to ending the pandemic?

President Biden even said that platforms like Facebook, by harboring skepticism about the shots, were killing people.

Facebook immediately rejected the criticism, but who is right?

Guest: Cecilia Kang, a correspondent covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter.

Background reading:

Mr. Biden’s blunt statement about Facebook capped weeks of frustration in the White House over the spread of vaccine disinformation on social media.
In response, Facebook called on the administration to stop “finger-pointing.”

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.