News

Facebook removes ABC’s ‘cheeky’ image

FacebookThe ABC’s new branded promotional campaign #knowthestory has been has been removed by Facebook for violating its “community guidelines” because the campaign features nudity.

The image in question, part of a campaign for ABC News, shows a naked protester running past the parliament in Athens during a violent protest against the visit of Angela Merkel.  The man’s bare backside is at the centre of the image.

A spokeswoman for the ABC told Mumbrella the organisation stands by the “cheeky” image.  “The ABC stands by the image in the #knowthestory ABC News campaign,” said the spokeswoman.

“We acknowledge some people might find the image a bit cheeky but we believe it is a powerful and legitimate news image and feedback indicates that Australians are indeed interested to #knowthestory. The ABC is disappointed with Facebook and are continuing to ask them to reverse their decision”.

Facebook issued a statement to Mumbrella saying:

“We want Facebook to be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views, while respecting the rights and feelings of others. On Facebook, everyone agrees to our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) when they create an account and these terms are linked to throughout the site.

“Our policies are designed strike a balance between giving people the ability to express themselves and maintaining a safe and trusted environment. Our SRR forbids content that includes pornography, bullying, and actionable threats of violence and we also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We remove any content reported to us that violates these policies. “

The policy states: “Facebook has a strict policy against the sharing of pornographic content and any explicitly sexual content where a minor is involved. We also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We aspire to respect people’s right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo’s David or family photos of a child breastfeeding.

The ABC said it was appealing tjhe decision and has  noted that the campaign is running in a billboard outside its Sydney headquarters.

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Nic Christensen

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