Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer Weighs in on Zuckerberg’s Recent Comments Surrounding Election Night Result Timeline Revealing Facebook is a Publisher

 

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed public affairs strategist Clint Brewer in the studio.

During the third hour, Brewer gave his take on Zuckerbergs’s recent statement implying that he is now a publisher and described Facebook as the largest internet news platform void of any governmental regulations while crossing national borders. He stated, “His comments are something that in another time you would have seen a newspaper’s editorial page make a statement about it to try to manage expectations in a responsible way for the Populous.”

(Mark Zuckerberg clip plays)

Leahy: Mark Zuckerberg preparing for what I’m going to say is the onslaught of the fraudulent vote by mail and trying to justify what may well happen here hereafter election night. Clint, I’d be very curious about your thoughts on this. You know, it was so much fun when Markell called us in who is a Democrat when I asked this question in the six o’clock hour.

How did you react on election night in 2016 as the time went from midnight until 2:44 a.m.? All of the mainstream media hosts were gleeful. And then each succeeding minute they became less gleeful. And then each succeeding minute they became less gleeful. And by two-thirty with crestfallen faces, they projected Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. Do you recall that yourself?

Brewer: I do. I do. Yeah.

Yes, Every Kid

Leahy: Walk me through Clint if you would that evening from your perspective. Did you think on the election night of 2016 and going into it as you came home and started watching it at nine o’clock at night, did you think Clint Hillary Clinton would win? And what was your feeling about it as you watched it that night?

Brewer: I think that the prevailing wisdom was that she was going to win, right? Like all the polls and all the things that institutionally who follow politics count on reinforced to all of us no matter what side of the aisle that we are on that she was going to win. So there was this sort of foregone conclusion.

Leahy: On election night, what was your internal expectation of how the night would play out?

Brewer: I thought it was going to be closer than people were projecting. I was the most surprised by some of the Midwestern states. That’s what really got my attention was when the labor heavy Midwestern states and Rustbelt starting going for Trump.

Leahy: So at midnight, you are watching and at what point did you say, he just might win!

Brewer: Oh, I don’t remember that. I remember somewhere around 1:15 I was like this is not going as projected. It was really clear that something very unique had happened.

Leahy: By the way, I was over the weekend I was looking at clips that line that phrasing, he just might win. Kudos and a tip of the hat to Mel Brooks and The Young Frankenstein’s and Gene Wilder. It just might work! Talking about creating the Frankenstein monster.

Brewer: On Zuckerberg I find his comments interesting on a number of levels. First of all, I personally think that Mr. Zuckerberg is happy with whoever wins the election and who’s going to leave his company alone the most. I think the party that’s going to regulate him the least is probably the one he’s interested in seeing win.

I don’t find him to be a particularly political person. He’s a capitalist. He’s built one of the most powerful and profitable companies in the world. But it was interesting to me that in his comments, first, he says, other media including us. So I mean he’s viewing himself…

Leahy: I caught that too.

Brewer: It’s now The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fox News, and Facebook.,

Leahy: But doesn’t he have this Section 232 Communications Decency Act exemption?

Brewer: Yes. I believe so. He is media certainly. Certainly, Facebook is the prevailing channel through which people get information in this country. So I think he’s accurate to call himself media. But I think that self-realization is interesting.

And taking that mantle, his comments are something that in another time you would have seen a newspaper’s editorial page make a statement about it to try to manage expectations in a responsible way for the Populous. I think with the pandemic and with mail-in voting and all the uncertainty, we are not really great at doing this in large cities anyway right now by getting results in.

I think he’s accurate it may take some extra time. I mean it took extra time before. We had Gore and Bush go all the way to the Supreme Court. Right? This isn’t new. It’s not. But I find it interesting the role Mark Zuckerberg assumes when he makes those comments. That’s what I found interesting about it.

Leahy: Yes. And what is that role?

Brewer: It’s the role of what here to for would have been a national newspaper. He’s essentially coming out as the publisher of the largest news organization on the planet and making a statement. But he’s doing it without the formalities of the past.

Which is to commit it to writing and to put your name to it or put your organization’s name to it. He’s just saying it. And I don’t know what the venue was a panel discussion or a media interview. I’m not sure. It’s interesting that that is the most powerful information source on the planet and he’s got a viewpoint and he’s putting it out there.

Leahy: I know this will shock you Clint but I will disagree with one element of what you just said.

Brewer: Can I guess before you do it? Can I guess?

Leahy: Yes. Guess.

Brewer: I think you believe Mr. Zuckerberg has a partisan view.

Leahy: I do. (Brewer laughs) You win the prize.

Brewer: I knew when you said it you were going to disagree with it.

Leahy: But I have a very personal reason for saying that.

Brewer: OK.

Leahy: Because we’ve experienced his censorship here at The Tennessee Star and all of our outlets. We will publish stories that they will not generate. They will not duplicate or replicate or allow it to be shared. We have no idea why.

We just experienced this at The Ohio Star. And we have a whole bunch of hoops to jump through to be able to advertise or boost our stuff. We are not going to jump through those hoops because we think they are arbitrary and they are biased against us. Plus, I don’t want to pay them any money because in my view I think they are the enemy. A. B, Facebook has gone out and had this big journalism grant program.

Brewer: Right.

Leahy: And the journalism grants go to local left-wing publications. They don’t go to conservative publications. That’s one point. But point two, we never apply and will never apply to bend the knee to beg for pennies from Facebook because the minute they give you money for a grant then A, can’t report on them accurately. But B, they are looking for you to twist your storylines to the Left.

Brewer: Let me just give you a reaction to that. I certainly understand your viewpoint. I would say this. I think that given the size of their company.

Leahy: Massive.

Brewer: The value of their stock.

Leahy: Huge.

Brewer: I think their overriding concerns that are largely monetary. And I think that what you’ve experienced and other conservative outlets have experienced has been a reaction to the current threat of regulation from the Left. I mean that’s what I see.

I think they’ve listed to the Left to sort of as a strategy to curry favor with those who would regulate them. Because I mean let’s be honest, whether its Facebook or Google or Twitter or any of these large consumer internet platforms you are talking about the most pervasive platforms for a person to person communication ever created in human history.

Leahy: Ever. And effective.

Brewer: And they are almost completely unregulated by any government and they cross national borders.

Leahy: By the way, just competing against Facebook for advertising dollars I can tell you it is a fact that a small local retailer on a return on investment will usually get better results from any outlet if they go on Facebook and just spend like $500 bucks and do a localized communication.

Brewer: Sure. It’s very empirical. It’s a well-built platform.

Listen to the full third hour here:


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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Mark Zuckerberg” by Anthony Quitano. CC BY 2.0. Background Photo “Mark Zuckerberg” by Anthony Quintano. CC BY 2.0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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