Facebook Curator: We Pick What’s Trending;‘Regularly Avoid’ Promoting Rightwing sites

[Oktoberfest]

Former Facebook Curator: We Pick What’s Trending; ‘Regularly Avoid’ Promoting Breitbart, The Blaze and other Rightwing Sites

http://gizmodo.com/want-to-know-what...sts-1773916117

[sarahtasher]

You just forgot one tiny, minuscule detail...surely an error of good faith, I don't doubt it...

Here is the quote.

''They would regularly avoid sites like World Star Hip Hop, The Blaze, and Breitbart, but were never explicitly told to suppress those ''

Yeah, World Star Hip Hop, the well known bastion of conservatives...

But I suppose reading full articles with big words is too hard.

[ati87]

Former Facebook Curator: We Pick What’s Trending; ‘Regularly Avoid’ Promoting Breitbart, The Blaze and other Rightwing Sites

http://gizmodo.com/want-to-know-what...sts-1773916117

It's a private businesses and just like how right wingers (businesses) are allowed to discriminate based on their religion (stupid how a business can have a religion) Facebook is allowed to avoid promoting right wing lies (because thats what they are)

[Garnier Fructis]

Yeah, World Star Hip Hop, the well known bastion of conservatives...

But I suppose reading full articles with big words is too hard.

It's like Milo's drama about twitter shadowbanning conservatives, where he basically ignored all the liberals that got shadowbanned as well.

[spinner981]

It's a private businesses and just like how right wingers (businesses) are allowed to discriminate based on their religion (stupid how a business can have a religion) Facebook is allowed to avoid promoting right wing lies (because thats what they are)

But I see many lies that Facebook deems 'trending' all the time. Also, must be nice to just define opinions that you don't agree with as 'lies'.

[Rixis]

"We tend to filter out extreme websites on both sides"

Each side: "oh my god they filter all our websites out it's disgraceful bias to try and silence the [insert wing]"

Reading between the lines seems to be an art they're not very good at, but practice with every single piece of text they read.

[spinner981]

"We tend to filter out extreme websites on both sides"

Each side: "oh my god they filter all our websites out it's disgraceful bias to try and silence the [insert wing]"

Reading between the lines seems to be an art they're not very good at, but practice with every single piece of text they read.

That can't be true. I see Huffington post on there all the time.

[Deleted]

What other right wing sites? I don't see the mentioning of others, I do see world star hip hop (afraid I am not to knowledgeable, but it doesn't sound right wing).

[Oktoberfest]

"We tend to filter out extreme websites on both sides"

Each side: "oh my god they filter all our websites out it's disgraceful bias to try and silence the [insert wing]"

Reading between the lines seems to be an art they're not very good at, but practice with every single piece of text they read.

They were also told to select articles from a list of preferred media outlets that included sites like the New York Times, Time, Variety, and other traditional outlets.

Basically all leftists sources

[Celista]

Clearly trending content is paid for. Or at least some is, there's a stupid meaningless story about a celebrity doing nothing in there on a regular basis. Specifically, lots of Kartrashian stories.

[Gorehowl]

well when you have a shitty hypocrite for a company founder (zuckerberg), the product tends to be shitty and hypocritical.

[Fincayra]

Maybe they can stop picking amy schumer and the kardashians for the trending shit then?.... please?

[Captain N]

Clearly trending content is paid for. Or at least some is, there's a stupid meaningless story about a celebrity doing nothing in there on a regular basis. Specifically, lots of Kartrashian stories.

Considering it's contracted out per the OP link it's all paid for. Basically what we have is a faux outraged OP that Facebook isn't showing links from Right Wing websites because those contractors are 20-30 years old also per his own link. Considering the amount of young people who get their information from social media...would it not make sense for those contractors to put up websites fitting the political affiliation that most young people side with?

*Avoiding discussing the Kardashians because thats just nasty*

[Deleted]

That can't be true. I see Huffington post on there all the time.

Reality has a liberal bias.

[RickJamesLich]

You just forgot one tiny, minuscule detail...surely an error of good faith, I don't doubt it...

Here is the quote.

''They would regularly avoid sites like World Star Hip Hop, The Blaze, and Breitbart, but were never explicitly told to suppress those ''

Yeah, World Star Hip Hop, the well known bastion of conservatives...

But I suppose reading full articles with big words is too hard.

Well yeah, considering world star hip hop usually displays violent videos or things that are illegal lol. Not really the same thing as conservative news sites. Just because they also happened to avoid sites like world star hip hop doesn't really mean they weren't bias and trying to sway users to the left.

[Skroe]

Former Facebook Curator: We Pick What’s Trending; ‘Regularly Avoid’ Promoting Breitbart, The Blaze and other Rightwing Sites

http://gizmodo.com/want-to-know-what...sts-1773916117

Because Breibart and the Blaze are fucking insane and paranoid? It's like when RT, Sputnik and Iran's government newspaper shows up in my news feed because I read foreign affairs news.

[Macaquerie]

Well yeah, considering world star hip hop usually displays violent videos or things that are illegal lol. Not really the same thing as conservative news sites. Just because they also happened to avoid sites like world star hip hop doesn't really mean they weren't bias and trying to sway users to the left.

Facebook is a business, not some kind of state-run propaganda network. If they shadowban something it's because they've decided that for some reason or another, their users would rather not see it. You're still free to post whatever you want and circulate it among your friends, but they're under no obligation to propagate that material on your behalf.

[RickJamesLich]

Facebook is a business, not some kind of state-run propaganda network. If they shadowban something it's because they've decided that for some reason or another, their users would rather not see it. You're still free to post whatever you want and circulate it among your friends, but they're under no obligation to propagate that material on your behalf.

They are not state run but the allegations in the story would suggest they are definitely putting propaganda out there. Thankfully I haven't used that site in a long time lol.

[Deleted]

It's a private businesses and just like how right wingers (businesses) are allowed to discriminate based on their religion (stupid how a business can have a religion) Facebook is allowed to avoid promoting right wing lies (because thats what they are)

Yes but being a private enterprise doesn't mean you are absolved of all ethical and moral obligations. In this case Facebook pretends to present News that are trending on the Internet when in reality there are people who decide what news they want to be "trending".
They are being deceitful.

Please stop using that tired american dumbass saying. "But it's a BUSINESS they can do what they want"

[Macaquerie]

Yes but being a private enterprise doesn't mean you are absolved of all ethical and moral obligations. In this case Facebook pretends to present News that are trending on the Internet when in reality there are people who decide what news they want to be "trending".
They are being deceitful.

Please stop using that tired american dumbass saying. "But it's a BUSINESS they can do what they want"

The profit motive doesn't justify Facebook trying to control their content, but what should be done about it? Should the government step in and force them to give equal space? If you don't like the narrative they're presenting, the burden is on you to find other ways to get the message out there in a way that will get people to pay attention.