Candidate for Mayor Assassinated in Mexico

Case Description

On May 30, 2024, four different accounts posted about the assassination of José Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos, who was running for mayor in the municipality of Coyuca de Benitez in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. He had been shot and killed the day before during a campaign rally. All four pieces of content, one on Facebook and three on Instagram, were either posted by or reshared from news media accounts based in Latin America. The posts include similar videos, showing Cabrera Barrientos shaking hands with constituents before a gun is aimed at him. Blurred or blurry images follow to the sound of multiple gunshots and people screaming. Each post is accompanied by a caption, in Spanish, providing facts about the shooting.  

Meta designated the assassination of Cabrera Barrientos as a violating violent event under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, which prohibits sharing third-party imagery depicting the moment of designated attacks on visible victims. Meta’s subject matter experts had already assessed another version of the video as violating and added it to a Media Matching Service (MMS) bank that was programmed to remove this content. 

The first post was shared by a large media organization and includes a caption stating that 23 candidates for political office have been murdered during Mexico’s current election cycle. It was viewed about 59,000 times. The second post, also shared by a large media organization, includes a warning added by the user that the video is sensitive. The caption reports on a statement by the Governor of Guerrero, in which she condemns the killing and expresses condolences to the family. It was viewed more than a million times. These two posts were referred to the Board by Meta. After being identified by an MMS bank, the posts were escalated to Meta’s subject matter experts for additional review. Following this review, Meta allowed the first and second posts to remain on its platforms, with a Mark as Disturbing and newsworthy labels, due to their public interest value. 

In the third case, a user reshared content from a different media organization, without adding anything to it. There is a message imposed on the video, which is restated in the caption, instructing viewers that an “uncensored” video is available on Telegram. It was viewed about 17,000 times. The fourth post was shared by a media organization, with a caption noting that one of the attackers was shot at the scene and that, in addition to the candidate, three others were injured. It was viewed about 11,000 times. Meta removed these posts after an MMS bank identified them. Both users in these two cases appealed to the Board, stating their content was important news about violence and terrorism.  

The Board is evaluating all four cases together. Meta stated the two cases it referred to the Board raise difficult questions about how it should handle newsworthy posts that include third-party footage of assassinations or assassination attempts. Meta said the content in these two cases met the high bar for a newsworthy allowance because it was shared by news outlets with wide reach and contained analysis contextualizing the footage within the broader issue of violence and insecurity during election cycles. After the Board had brought the third and fourth cases to Meta’s attention, the company confirmed these posts did not meet the bar for the same allowance. Meta determined that, in general, removing most content depicting the moment of an attack on visible victims is consistent with its commitments to safety and privacy. This is because such footage can have propaganda value, raise the profile of perpetrators and inspire copycat behavior, while intruding on the privacy and dignity of victims and their families, according to the company.  

The Board selected these cases to address the issue of political violence and its impact on electoral processes. This case falls within the Board’s strategic priority of Elections and Civic Space.   

The Board would appreciate public comments that address:  

• The impact of violent imagery on electoral processes and public discourse around elections.   

• The extent and nature of electoral violence, particularly against politicians, during Mexico’s 2024 general election.  

• Mexico’s media environment and the role of social media in providing information about election processes. 

• Use of social media by criminal organizations, including the role of assassination videos. 

• Media standards in Mexico on depicting death or graphic violence in news reporting.  

 As part of its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to these cases.