Recent leaked audio obtained by the Citizen Journalism Foundation has unveiled significant details about Facebook’s involvement in promoting specific narratives through free advertising credits. The tapes reveal discussions among Rockefeller Foundation staff and partners, highlighting a coordinated effort to secure ad credits from the social media giant.
According to the recordings, Facebook granted $100,000 in ad credits “per city” to the Rockefeller Foundation, amounting to at least $500,000 in 2021. These credits were used to amplify public health initiatives and narratives aligned with the Biden administration, the CDC, and the WHO. Notably, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was among the beneficiaries, with additional ad credits secured for his efforts.
Estelle Willie, Director of Health Policy and Communications at The Rockefeller Foundation, was heard in the recording remarking on the extensive resources being obtained from tech platforms. “More to come, just trying to get all the freebies from tech!” she said, as the participants discussed maximizing these contributions.
Spangler noted ongoing efforts to “help them get, like, some ad credits from Facebook to support the study,” while Feig humorously suggested keeping a tally of the free ads secured. The group also discussed leveraging YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) for additional advertising support, hinting at a broad strategy to promote their health initiatives.
The discussions reveal a marketing-style approach to public health campaigns, with consultants bringing what they described as “the sizzle and the steak.” Public health narratives were treated like a commercial product, with key cultural events used as “tentpole moments” to generate interest and visibility.
Notably, the leaked tapes coincide with a shift in Facebook’s content moderation policies. Mark Zuckerberg announced that the platform would abandon traditional fact-checking in favor of a Community Notes system. However, Zuckerberg’s public statements present a contrast to the internal actions revealed in the audio. While he has claimed that the Biden administration “pushed [Facebook] super hard” to suppress certain content, the ad credit grants suggest active collaboration to amplify specific narratives.
