'Disruptive content': Facebook blocks former U.S. president (and it's not Donald Trump this time)

Facebook blocked both a current member of Congress and a former U.S. president within a matter of days.

The social media giant removed a post by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over the weekend for allegedly violating Facebook's policies.

Mark Zuckerberg's platform similarly banned an upstart children's book imprint for advertising a book about President Ronald Reagan, among other titles, on its massive platform.

Heroes of Liberty, formed in 2020 but officially launched Nov. 14, publishes illustrated biographies of prominent Americans for young readers. Think President Reagan, scholar Thomas Sowell and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the first Americans it celebrated in print.

The company planned to lean heavily on Facebook to enter the marketplace with a splash, a common practice in the digital age due to the platform's reach, targeting metrics and scale. 

"We wanted to build a community around our mission, and the biggest social platform in the world seems like a good place to establish our brand," said Bethany Mandel, an editor and board member of Heroes of Liberty.

Facebook blocked her company's ad account Dec. 23, and Heroes of Liberty swiftly appealed the move. Facebook's reply? It permanently disabled the account, citing its "disruptive content."

"We never thought we would be banned," said Mandel, noting her company invested most of its marketing budget on the social media giant. "If we thought it would be possible, we wouldn't have chosen Facebook to start with."

A "Hero of Liberty," according to the company, "is a person who either promoted freedom, faith, or family values, or lived a virtuous life of self-reliance, creativity, or devotion in light of those sacred principles."

A casual observer would notice these "Heroes" speak to right-leaning consumers — although plenty of children's books extol left-leaning figures like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and President Barack Obama.

Mandel, a right-leaning columnist for Deseret News and Ricochet, says her company's initial Facebook ads drew furious responses from select users despite the innocuous nature of the copy. ("Christmas is here, and it's the perfect time to celebrate with your children … celebrate family, celebrate freedom, celebrate America!")

One user suggested burning the books in question. Another brought up President Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal.

"We think our books speak for themselves; they aren't ideological or political," Mandel said. "They're just good, wholesome stories." Future "Heroes" include John Wayne, Margaret Thatcher, and Alexander Hamilton.

Facebook has not responded to a request for comment.

The Facebook cancellation left Heroes of Liberty without six months' worth of valuable audience data, the kind companies leverage to market their wares.

Scrambling to reassemble its business model following the unexpected ban, Heroes of Liberty quickly instituted a new subscription model allowing the company to send a new title to consumers on a monthly basis.

News of the cancellation has had one positive side effect, Mandel says.

"We have been approached by many influencers and organizations that want to help us spread the word," she said. "It's a setback, but the demand for good children's books that are not woke is massive, and we need to be there, we just have to."

Mandel finds solace in recent events, including the 2021 election results in Virginia, where parents revolted against progressive school measures to install a GOP governor, Glenn Youngkin, over Democratic veteran Terry McAuliffe.

"Americans are fighting to change the school system … but before we look outside, we need to look inside, to our homes," she said.