Trump campaign runs hundreds of misleading Facebook ads warning of Super Bowl censorship

President Donald Trump's reelection campaign has run more than 200 misleading political advertisements on Facebook in the past day claiming the "Fake News media" will attempt to block the campaign's upcoming Super Bowl ad — despite federal regulations that require the TV spot be aired. The messages represent the latest example of Facebook's willingness to let politicians misdirect users and could revive criticism that the company profits from misinformation. "We know the Fake News media will do everything they can to ensure our ad never sees the light of day," the Facebook advertisement reads. "That's why I'm calling on YOU to step up and DEMAND that they air our ad during the Super Bowl."

President Trump's newest Facebook ad is misleading on two counts, according to Andrew Schwartzman, senior counselor at the Benton Insitute for Broadband & Society. First, the Super Bowl, and by extension, the Trump campaign's Super Bowl ad, will be aired exclusively on Fox, whose chairman, Rupert Murdoch, shares close ties with President Trump. Other media companies will have no role to play in determining whether Fox airs the campaign ad. Second, regulations by the Federal Communications Commission prohibit broadcasters such as Fox from rejecting political advertisements by legally qualified candidates for federal office. "They must run the ad," said Schwartzman. "The only alteration they can make is if the ad does not comply with the sponsorship identification requirements saying 'paid for by so-and-so' in lettering of a certain size. That's it."