The Media Research Center’s Alec Schemmel served up more PR work for right-wing radio host Mark Levin in a Dec. 30 post:
Talk radio star Mark Levin told his social media audiences that he would be leaving Facebook.
“Please follow me at Parler as I will leave Facebook in 4 days for continuingly censoring me,” Levin said to his social media followers on Dec. 28. Levin then sent out a second post the following day indicating to his followers that he would be leaving the platform “in a matter of hours.” He called Facebook “corrupt.”
The announcements came after Levin had already hinted at boycotting the social media giant. Since October Levin received three notifications from Facebook indicating his page had been given “reduced distribution and other restrictions,” which has crescendoed in him announcing his departure.
“I’ve been restricted and censored on Facebook. Please make sure you transition to Parler ASAP as I will be leaving Facebook probably by the end of the year,” Levin said on Nov. 18.
Schemmnel didn’t tell you that the reason Facebook “restricted and censored” Levin was that he spread lies misinformation and refused to correct false claims. As we’ve documented, Levin spread a claim that originated on the conservative blog Hot Air that misquoted Joe Biden; Hot Air later corrected itself, but Levin never did. Levin also posted another claim about Biden that falsely listed the date in which a picture of him not wearing a mask took place.
Schemmel also censored the fact that Levin had been claiming for weeks he was leaving Facebook without bothering to list a date certain; it was only after Mediaite called him on it that he said he would leave at the end of the year — which occurred about a month before the Dec. 28 post that Schemmel cited.
Schemmel devoted two paragraphs to Levin touting his Parler page without disclosing that the MRC and Parler share a major funder in Rebekah Mercer, who also sits on the MRC’s board. But Schemmel saved the kicker for his very last paragraph: “Levin has continued to post to his Facebook account following the announcement.”
In other words, this is all performative PR. Just what you’d expect from an organization whose leader considers himself a close friend of Levin.