Pelosi hasn’t returned calls to Facebook’s Zuckerberg after edited video controversy: report

In the weeks since Facebook refused to take down a viral doctored video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has tried to reach out to the Speaker to talk about how his company handles misinformation, but according to a report in The Washington Post, Pelosi has not returned his calls.

Pelosi hasn’t responded to Zuckerberg, but their respective staffs have been in touch, the Post reports. In the meantime, Pelosi is reportedly not eager to hear Zuckerberg’s reasoning for his company’s decision following the handling of the video.

{mosads}A video of a Pelosi speech at a Center of American Progress event was altered and slowed down to make her words slur and give her an appearance of looking sick or drunk, and many of those who watched it did not seem to know it had been manipulated.

In addition to grabbing millions of viewers’ attention, it also got picked up by several right-wing groups and online personalities, who spread it across multiple platforms.

In a since-deleted tweet sharing the video, President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani wrote, “What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi? Her speech pattern is bizarre.”

Facebook said the video doesn’t violate its community standards, and a company representative said it was looking to balance free expression while promoting a safe online community. Twitter said the video didn’t violate their rules, either. YouTube did take down the video.

Facebook has come under increased scrutiny in recent months amid investigations of whether it and other technology companies are putting its users at risk of privacy breaches and allowing users to be exposed to misinformation.

The social media giant has since said it’s working on ways to improve the way it responds to these issues. Other platforms, including YouTube, have taken measures to reduce the risk of misinformation, with the site announcing last week that it would take down videos pushing false information and content from white supremacists.

A number of Democratic presidential candidates are pushing for greater regulations around the social media giants.

Pelosi added to this rhetoric, saying, “Unwarranted, concentrated economic power in the hands of a few is dangerous to democracy — especially when digital platforms control content.

“The era of self-regulation is over.”

Unwarranted, concentrated economic power in the hands of a few is dangerous to democracy – especially when digital platforms control content. The era of self-regulation is over.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 4, 2019

The report of Pelosi avoiding Zuckerberg comes days before the House Intelligence Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on manipulated media and “deepfake” technology.