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Facebook ( FB ) is responding aggressively to a news report that suggests employees suppress news stories from conservative media outlets from appearing on the social network’s influential “Trending” news section. The report from Gizmodo , published Monday, says the claims were made by a former contractor, described as politically conservative, who worked with Facebook. The contractor said stories on conservative topics were prevented from appearing in the Trending section on Facebook even though they were organically trending among the site’s users, allegations that Facebook denied. Conservatives and the Republican Party chewed on the red meat with harsh accusations, including from the Republican National Committee. “It is beyond disturbing to learn that this power is being used to silence view points and stories that don’t fit someone else’s agenda,” said a blog post on GOP.com. “Censorship in any form should give Americans who value their fundamental freedoms great pause.” Alexander Marlow, editor-in-chief of the conservative Breitbart News website, said that the report confirmed a long-standing suspicion among conservatives. The political blog site RedState also weighed in. “It would not be tremendously surprising to any of us to learn that the behavior that is discussed in the Gizmodo article is occurring,” contributor Leon Wolf said in a post. “It’s a good thing that Facebook’s editorial practices receive more scrutiny, because of the immense power that Facebook yields.” Journalist Glenn Greenwald said in a Twitter post, “Aside from fueling right-wing persecution, this is a key reminder of dangers of Silicon Valley controlling content.” The Trending section posts stories that have recently become popular on Facebook on five categories: news, politics, science, technology and sports and entertainment. Facebook initially responded with an email statement on Monday saying it has “rigorous guidelines in place” for its review team, seeking to ensure consistency and neutrality. “We take allegations of bias very seriously,” a Facebook spokeswoman said in the statement, adding that Facebook is a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum. Facebook amplified its position Tuesday with a Facebook post by Tom Stocky , who heads the Trending Topics group that curates the news. “We take these reports extremely seriously, and have found no evidence that the anonymous allegations are true,” he wrote. “There are rigorous guidelines in place for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality,” Stocky said. “These guidelines do not permit the suppression of political perspectives. Nor do they permit the prioritization of one viewpoint over another or one news outlet over another.” Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News