By Lisa Cannon Green
The headlines on Christian satire site The Babylon Bee are meant to elicit a laugh as they poke fun at popular culture and the church.
But Facebook apparently doesn’t get the joke.
Babylon Bee’s Adam Ford reports he got a warning from Facebook about a March 1 headline: “CNN Purchases Industrial-Sized Washing Machine to Spin News Before Publication.”
Really, Facebook?? pic.twitter.com/HEtBc7C0Gz
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) March 2, 2018
Repeat offenders will have their distribution reduced and will lose the ability to advertise, the warning said.
Facebook cited Snopes.com, an independent fact-checking site that labels the article “false.” However, Snopes acknowledges the point was satire.
Some people *know* this is going on, even if it isn't:https://t.co/EE3zaDMyH7
— snopes.com (@snopes) March 2, 2018
“Although it should have been obvious that the Babylon Bee piece was just a spoof … some readers missed that aspect of the article and interpreted it literally,” Snopes.com said.
The Bee’s tongue-in-cheek response: “Snopes Rates Babylon Bee World’s Most Accurate News Source.”
Facebook Sends Warm Reminder To Publishers That It Is In Complete Control Of Their Livelihood https://t.co/QYclUToV46 pic.twitter.com/6UNWZWpg36
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) March 2, 2018
Related:
- Beware: Fake Baptist Trolls Might Be After You
- Watch Out for Fake News
- Social Media and the Fruit of the Spirit
LISA CANNON GREEN (@lisaccgreen) is senior editor of Facts & Trends.
