4 The Hampton Roads Messenger Editorial


Three Weeks in Europe: Monte Carlo Offers More Than Just Fast Cars and Gambling


Volume 14 Number 2


parade of neon lights does not exist in this extravagant oasis. We took photos inside and outside of the casino and retreated with our entire entertainment budget unscathed.


to a picturesque beach. Larvotto Beach is located next


Grace, which was once the world's most expensive street. The cost of an average apartment was $6,970 per square foot. Although it is quite expensive to live


mix of legal rules (traditionally based in


Senator Warner communications


FROM PAGE 1 provisions and campaign


finance laws) and norms that have worked to promote transparency, public deliberation


and debate,


Hampton Roads Messenger Publisher Angela Jones at Prince's Palace in Monaco BY ANGELA JONES


During my most recent trip to Europe, while based in Nice, France, I took several short excursions. One such adventure led me to Monte Carlo, Monaco, also known as a playground for the rich and famous. We left Nice in the morning by train for a ridiculously low fare of less than $10. It takes less than 30 minutes


to travel from Nice to Monte Carlo, Monaco by train. The tiny sovereign city-state, country of Monaco, on the French Riviera, has a population of less than 39,000 people according to 2017 census reports. Monte Carlo has a very modern train station which includes a plethora of lavish shops and restaurants.


When we arrived in Monte Carlo,


our first stop was a gelato shop just outside of the train station. After all, I had to make sure the gelato in Monaco was as good as the gelato in Old Town, Nice. It was. After securing directions on how


to get to the Prince’s Palace, we began to walk along a road that led in the direction of the palace. The road was also peppered with exclusive modern shops. I remember the weather being so hot that we went in one shop just to cool off. The temperature must have been close to 90 degrees that day but since Monte Carlo is so close to the Mediterranean Sea, there was a gentle breeze that kept it from getting too hot. Built in 1191, the Prince’s Palace


is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Since the latter part of the 13th century, it has been the home of the Grimaldi family who captured it in 1297. The views from the palace are simply, breathtaking. The palace sits high above the sea at the base of the Alps. It is quite a steep trek


to get to the entrance of the palace but the view from the entrance makes the laborious climb worth every step. One can practically see every


square inch of Monte Carlo from the top of the palace which is actually in Ville-Monaco. Yachts and cruise ships dot the


shoreline below the


palace while the mountains provide the perfect backdrop on the opposite side. The palace houses a great collection of photos and memorabilia of Grace Kelly, the American actress, who became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier, III in 1956. Another attraction I visited in Monte Carlo was the beautiful Exotic Garden of Monaco or Jardin Exotique de Monaco. Situated on the side of a cliff, the garden, filled with rare tropical plants, continues to wind up the hillside several stories. Located within the garden is a museum of Prehistoric Anthropology. The museum showcases fossils and other evidence of prehistoric humans who inhabited the area. In 1916, a grotto or cave was discovered under the grounds that encompass the Exotic Garden. Mostly exquisite succulents from Mexico and Africa have been transplanted in the Jardin Exotique de Monaco. A visit to Monaco would not complete


be without a chance to


see and be seen at Monte Carlo Casino, officially named Casino de Monte-Carlo. Although I do not gamble at all, I enjoyed the unique photo


opportunity. I did not in 1863. feel


pressured to spend a dime in what some might call a den-of-temptation, built


this gamblers' paradise has a more sophisticated


vibe.


Unlike Las Vegas, The


stationary openness,


diversity of opinion, and accountability. Undeniably, these norms have come


under major strain in recent years, from a variety of different directions. Among political actors, norms of decency and probity – strained in the best of times – have been routinely flouted. This is particularly evident in today’s digital age. As an avid user of digital media (and


shrewd practitioner of how to


exploit it), President Trump has in many ways helped to undermine these norms – and other candidates have chosen to follow suit. But it is also true that these norms


have been undermined at least in part because of the nature, architecture, policies, and operation of platforms like Facebook. The public nature of broadcast


television, In radio, addition to print,


cable, and satellite ensured a level of accountability for traditional political advertisements.


being


broadly accessible to the electorate, these communications are accessible to the press, fact-checkers, and political opponents services


that


through media monitoring track broadcast content


across television and radio markets. As a result, strong disincentives exist for a candidate to disseminate materially false, inflammatory, or contradictory messages to the public. By contrast, social media platforms tout their ability to target portions of the electorate with direct, ephemeral advertisements— often on the basis of private information the platform has on individual users, facilitating political advertisements that are contradictory, racially or socially inflammatory, or materially false, without the same constraints as more traditional communications mediums, and without affording opposing candidates an equal opportunity to respond directly in front of the same targeted audience. The consequences of Facebook’s


decision not to apply the same standards to political advertisements on its platform are potentially enormous: Today, 79 percent


of online Americans – 68


Established 2006 Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor


Sarah Parks, Graphic Designer Ida Davis, Contributing Writer Sales and Information: info@hamptonroadsmessenger.com Copyright pertaining to contents of this edition. All rights reserved.


percent of all Americans – are Facebook users. Over 160 million Americans use Facebook on a daily basis, spending an average of 35 minutes on the site each day. By contrast, the most-watched television broadcast in U.S. history – Super Bowl XLIX – was viewed by 114 million Americans. In the 2016 election, spending on digital advertising reached $1.4 billion, a 789 percent increase from the $159 million spent in 2012. The use of social media – and the internet more broadly – to inform the decisions of the electorate only heightens the need for scrutiny of the ads placed on those sites. In making strides not to continue


contributing to the coarsening of our political debate, and the undermining of our public institutions, at a minimum, Facebook should at least adhere to the same norms of other traditional media companies when it comes to political advertising. In defending its refusal to remove false political


advertisements by candidates, Facebook has pointed to of the Communications


Act that prohibit broadcast licensees from rejecting or modifying candidate ads, regardless of their accuracy. This comparison is inapt. Broadcast licensees face legal requirements to run these ads – in addition to a range of other obligations – as a condition of holding federal spectrum licenses. The prohibition to reject or modify the


ad accompanies a statutory


obligation to air ads of qualified federal candidates in the first place. A more appropriate comparison


for a platform like Facebook would be cable networks, which (like Facebook) face no such prohibition on rejecting


demonstrably false


advertisements from political candidates – nor are they bound by related obligations such as rules on advertising


rates and


access requirements. Therefore, the industry norms Facebook


reasonable should


heed would more aptly be those followed by not by local broadcasters, but by cable networks. Notably, CNN refused to air the same demonstrably false ad Facebook allowed the Trump campaign to run. To the extent Facebook takes inspiration from the norms of local broadcasters, it should likewise


require that candidates


provide documented substantial of claims made in their advertisements. Facebook’s apparent


lack of


foresight or concern for the possible damages caused by this policy concerns me. Thus, I am asking for a response from the company regarding the details of this policy and efforts to avert these negative effects: Under this policy, how is


Facebook defining “politician”? What steps have you taken to prevent abuse of this definition? Mr. Nick Clegg, Facebook’s


VP of Global Affairs, has noted that this policy has exceptions for speech which “can lead to real-world violence and harm” or “endangers people.” How is Facebook defining these terms?


like


Unlike online Facebook,


traditional


intermediaries media


outlets can be sued for defamation for the advertisements they run. Because of this, traditional media outlets have generally adopted norms of refusing to run advertisements with clear falsehoods, and of taking down ads where an opposing campaign or fact-checking organization has shown an ad to be false. Would a regulatory regime establishing


greater parity


in liability between Facebook and traditional media outlets serve to simplify Facebook’s policies in this sphere? Will you commit to provide ad


targeting information, as required under the Honest Ads Act, to better allow opposing campaigns to “correct the record” in responding to potentially misleading ads?


I look forward to receiving


Thank you for your time and your


responses within the next two weeks. Sincerely, Mark R. Warner U.S. Senator


While in Monte Carlo, I also went to Avenue Princesse


November 2019


in Monaco, its inhabitants are very hospitable. We tried to eat at a Thai restaurant, next to the beach, that required a reservation. The hostess worked diligently to accommodate us as did everyone else we encountered while visiting Monaco. The food at the Thai restaurant was delectable.


Unfortunately, it was not Grand


Prix racing season while we were in Monte Carlo. That only means we have to travel to Monaco again soon.


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