Axios<\/em>, a site known for political analysis and extensive use of bullet points, has joined the ranks of pundits fawning over Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s PR strategy<\/a>. The Meta CEO, they claim, is (as originally headlined) “having a PR moment” which is “casting a halo effect on the company itself.” That’s obviously untrue, but let’s say it in a format more likely to reach Axios’s <\/em>audience.<\/p>\n The big picture: <\/strong>Zuckerberg\u2019s recent PR blitz is neither out of character nor a sign of a freshly rehabbed image. In fact, Meta and Zuckerberg are staring down one of the biggest crises they\u2019ve ever faced.<\/p>\n Why it matters: <\/strong>Praising the PR strategy of a gigantic company which is credibly accused of enabling a variety of mass-scale harms is, at best, irresponsible, even if that PR strategy was working \u2014 which it isn’t.<\/p>\n Describing competitor products as inferior is exactly what executives are supposed to do. Zero points awarded<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The CEO of Meta responding to some of his social media comments isn\u2019t a sign of radical authenticity, it’s a ploy for engagement.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Saying you’ve “never seen Zuckerberg,” who to the best of our knowledge is a living, breathing human man “act so … real<\/em>” is an astonishingly low bar to clear!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n To recap here, Meta is embroiled in a massive lawsuit<\/a> from nearly every state over the myriad ways it has allegedly harmed its youngest users. And Zuckerberg\u2019s actions, or lack thereof, are at the heart of many of these claims. Court documents have revealed that the CEO personally intervened<\/a> to block a proposed ban on plastic surgery filters on Instagram despite advice from experts that these effects could exacerbate body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Under his leadership, Meta turned a blind eye<\/a> to children using its platform, against its own policies, and did little to stop adults from sexually harassing<\/a> children. Under his leadership, Instagram\u2019s recommendation algorithm promoted<\/a> child sexual exploitation content and connected<\/a> a “vast pedophile network.” At the same time, Zuckerberg repeatedly<\/a> denied or ignored requests from his top lieutenants to invest more in safety. Just last week, his lawyers were in federal court<\/a> arguing that he should not be held personally responsible in dozens of lawsuits over the harms his platforms have allegedly caused.<\/p>\n The most viral moments from Zuck’s Congressional testimony, which Axios <\/em>bizarrely suggests was good for his image, was a moment when he stammered an apology<\/a> to the families of children who have been victims of online exploitation on the platforms he controls. One parent in the room described it<\/a> as \u201cforced.\u201d The second-most viral moment was Senator Ted Cruz pointing to a posterboard of an in-app Instagram warning screen which indicated search results might “contain images of child sexual abuse” and which also provided the option to “see results anyway.”<\/p>\n\n