ToplineFacebook is a platform that tends to be dominated by conservative views on political hot-button issues. However, this week, the top link-based Facebook post focused instead on the still-unfolding disaster at Surfside, Fla. where at least nine people have been killed and more than 150 remain unaccounted after the collapse of a high rise apartment building.Residents and family members of Champlain Towers South meet outside the Town of... [+] Surfside Community Center, Surfside, north-of Miami Beach on June 24, 2021. AFP via Getty ImagesThe Key FactsCrowdTangle data, an analytics tool owned Facebook, shows that the most popular post in the U.S. this week was Franklin Graham sharing a Reuters story about the disaster. Graham, one of the most prominent conservatives on Facebook, expressed gratitude for the efforts of rescuers. The Saturday post has received nearly 180,000 responses, 40,300 comments, and 22,000 shares. Graham wrote that rescuers working around the clock to find victims and survivors at the condo collapse in Miami are doing so. Forbes documented link-based posts that dominate Facebook. For example, Graham's celebration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), for signing a bill banning trans women athletes from girls and women's sports on the first of Pride Month (the most link-based post between May 30, and June 6). The next most popular link-based posts were more representative of the site's usual makeup. Sharron Davies, an Olympic medalist, was criticised by Ben Shapiro and DeSantis was praised for his dedication to fighting for the left.Surprising FactKevin Roose, a New York Times technology columnist, runs a Twitter account that documents the top 10 most popular link posts from U.S. pages each day. These posts are overwhelmingly from conservative sources. Ben Shapiro, for example, was the most popular post on the site in the four-out-of-five days that ran from June 21 to June 25.Important BackgroundThe sudden collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo near Miami Beach on Thursday morning is still a shock to Florida. On Sunday, rescue teams continued their fourth day of searching the rubble for any missing people. Local officials reported that the death toll had more than doubled to nine people since Saturday. Another 156 residents of the buildings remain unaccounted for. Rare collaboration was achieved between President Biden (a vocal critic of the Biden administration) and DeSantis. DeSantis thanked Biden as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their support in Florida's recovery following the collapse. DeSantis, who is a strong ally of Trump and is expected to be a prominent GOP presidential candidate, stated that we really appreciate the president's support.Important QuoteSome rescuers are at risk of their lives below the ground, while others are being struck by falling debris. In his post, Graham, founder and president of Samaritans Purse an evangelical Christian aid organization, said that we should lift these workers up in prayer asking God to protect them. This disaster has affected so many.
