Update: The post was restored this morning roughly at the same time this story was posted. Here is the link.
Facebook on Tuesday deleted two posts in which I interview reform activist John Gentry, who in a radio presentation describes his lawsuits to force Tennessee legislative officials to obey the rules regarding public rebukes of their work.
By David Tulis / NoogaRadio 92.7 FM
The interview about abuses of general assembly clerks and speakers aired on NoogaRadio 92.7 in Chattanooga and also at 95.3 FM HD4, a digital station that simulcasts the main signal from a tower in Chattanooga. The talk aired at 2:30 p.m. and was the last of four segments of the David Tulis show.
Facebook took less than an hour to digest the automatically transcribed show, flag its contents and delete it. The interview appeared on the station FB feed, as ordinarily it might. It had 143 views when I checked it at about 3:15 as I ate lunch in my studio office. Near 4 p.m., as I was readying to go into a sales meeting, it had been deleted.
Also deleted: A second record of the interview posted on the Nooganomics FB page, a digital clip recorded on my smartphone.
The deletion was news to the station’s market manager, Jen Lambert, who handles FB posts. The station has a lively FB presence, the main goal of which is marketing.
Facebook users take a strong interest in Mr. Gentry’s remonstrance project, and interviews with Mr. Gentry routinely set FB records for the Tulis show.
Tuesday’s action is the first of its kind against the Tulis show, though other segments have been blocked at their “boost” function. I no longer bother trying to “boost” or advertise anything for pay on FB.
It’s not clear why FB would delete the two files. On Monday Mr. Gentry posted a story about his efforts, as visible in the photo nearby.
Gentry post on Facebook
Gentry fighting to bring courts into obedience with due process rights
