FBI's X Post Praising Martin Luther King Jr Gets Flagged By Community Notes (Image: X @Riley_Gaines_)
The United States observed the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15. It is a federal holiday and it honours the life and legacy of the prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. US President Ronald Reagan signed this holiday into law in 1983. In United States, only three people have a holiday observed in their honour. This include Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is the principal investigative arm of the US Department of Justice, also honored Martin Luther King Jr with an X post on Monday. However, the FBI”s post on X was flagged with a community note and several X users pointed out that it did not convey the FBI’s true relationship with the civil rights icon. Notably, X designed the Community Notes feature to prevent the spread of misinformation on the microblogging platform. This feature empowers X users to flag misinformation and give essential context to readers. The feature permits eligible contributors to attach notes to posts and it highlights the content”s authenticity.
This #MLKDay, the #FBI honors one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and reaffirms its commitment to Dr. King’s legacy of fairness and equal justice for all. pic.twitter.com/tj9EUoXsFK
— FBI (@FBI) January 15, 2024
“This #MLKDay, the #FBI honors one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and reaffirms its commitment to Dr. King’s legacy of fairness and equal justice for all,” wrote FBI on its X handle on January 15. FBI”s post was flagged with note that mentions the agency”s past actions against Martin Luther King Jr. The community note fact checking FBI pointed out that Martin Luther King”s family believes the FBI was responsible for the death of Martin Luther King Jr. “The FBI engaged in surveillance of King, attempted to discredit him, and used manipulation tactics to influence him to stop organizing,” the community note mentioned. The note also highlights certain news articles showing FBI”s action against the leader.
According to a TIME report published in 2021, Martin Luther King, Jr was monitored at every turn by the FBI. The hotel rooms of the leader were bugged, his phones tapped, and even his office is reportedly infiltrated by informants. The agency”s interest in the leader was fuelled by fears of communism. Meanwhile, several X users praised the community note. “This is the best community notes ever,” commented a user. “Community note never disappoints,” commented another user.
