The antitrust trial from the Federal Trade Commission against Meta Platforms META has centered on the company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

The FTC is accusing META of using its power to acquire smaller companies through a “buy or bury” strategy.

The trial has revealed that Meta attempted to buy Snapchat and once considered spinning off Instagram on its own, an item that will now be forced on the company if the FTC wins its case.

New Twist: According to a new report, Meta platforms contacted a known critic ahead of the trial.

The New York Post reported that Meta attempted a last-ditch effort to win favor ahead of the antitrust trial, which began April 14.

According to the report, Meta called the right-leaning watchdog, Media Research Center, in early April ahead of the trial. The Media Research Center is known for taking on big technology companies like Meta Platforms and often calling out companies for censorship and political bias.

A Meta official spoke to MRC executive Dan Schneider about the FTC trial and highlighted Meta’s plan to ditch its fact-checking processes for a “community notes” style similar to the one used by X. The company’s past fact-checking methods were often the subject of criticism and censorship accusations by Republicans.

Schneider told the New York Post that he believes the phone call was an attempt to get him “to do something” to win favor with conservatives.

“On the eve of this trial that could have severe ramifications for Meta, (the company official) was throwing a ‘hail Mary’ Pass to see if one of its chief critics would run cover for them in some way,” Schneider said.

He added that he was not asked directly to do something for Meta. “I think it’s clearly accurate that they were hoping I was going to do something.”

Schneider said the Meta official may have referenced a settlement before the trial by suggesting the FTC could get a deal “not at trial, but with something beforehand.”

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Why It’s Important: While Meta declined to comment to the New York Post, Schneider’s confirmation of the phone call could indicate the social media company’s efforts to avoid the antitrust trial.

The NY Post story said the MRC previously published several studies on Big Tech censorship, including several that portrayed Meta negatively.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a $1 million donation to Donald Trump’s inauguration, which he attended and also took part in meetings at Mar-a-Lago.

After a previous tense relationship that included Trump threatening to put Zuckerberg in jail, the Meta CEO has appeared to be trying to make nice with the president and conservatives who are upset at past company policies.

The donations, support for Trump, and calls to the MRC were not enough to prevent the antitrust trial from starting.

A Wall Street Journal report also noted that Zuckerberg tried to settle the case before trial, offering $450 million and eventually raising the offer to $1 billion. The FTC has demanded $30 billion in the case. The report says FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson said he would not settle the case for less than $18 billion.

As the antitrust trial continues, Meta could be forced to spin off Instagram and/or WhatsApp.

META Price Action: Meta stock was up 6.5% to $630.80 on Monday, versus a 52-week trading range of $442.65 to $740.89. It is up 5.3% year-to-date in 2025 and 35% over the last year.

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