Facebook has deleted a video posted by US President Donald Trump on the social network. The clip contained misinformation on the subject of coronavirus, a spokesman for the company explained. In the excerpt of an interview with the Fox News channel, Trump said that children are in relation to the coronavirus.. "almost immune", why schools should reopen for normal classes after summer vacation despite the pandemic.
Facebook declared on Wednesday that the "false claim that one population group is immune", violate the platform’s rules on Corona misinformation. Children can also be infected with the coronavirus, but usually have rather mild symptoms – they are not "immune".
Twitter demands deletion
Trump’s video excerpt also appeared to be deleted again on Twitter Wednesday evening. According to the Washington Post, a company spokeswoman said Twitter had requested the deletion of the video (controversial passage starting at minute 19:45). At a press conference at the White House Wednesday night, Trump took pains to qualify his remark, pointing to the mostly mild courses of illness in children. Trump, however, reiterated his call for schools across the country to return to normal classes. In many major cities, school districts have already announced that they will not begin the new school year as usual, with only preschool classes, because of the pandemic.
Unlike Twitter, Facebook has so far been very reluctant to engage with Trump’s posts. Twitter had ied a warning or fact-checked some of Trump’s tweets for glorifying violence. Trump criticizes this as censorship.