Newsela is signing on to the #StopHateForProfit campaign by suspending Facebook and Instagram spending during the month of July. In doing so, we join companies from varied industries who are uniting to send an emphatic message: Facebook needs to be held accountable for the spread of falsehoods within its ecosystem.

As stakeholders in education and news, we stand against the misinformation and consequent polarization that flourishes on Facebook’s platform. It runs counter to everything we stand for as we strive to provide learners with the best instructional content and tools — tools that will serve them well not just in the context of the classroom, but also as citizens who have a stake in each other’s future.

Facebook is not an agnostic platform; it wields outsize power and influence on how information spreads. The people behind the brand have the power to decide whether they want to continue manipulating and undermining our citizenry, or whether the time has finally come to correct course.