Slashdot Mirror
Former Facebook Workers: We Routinely Suppressed Conservative News (gizmodo.com)
Michael Nunez, reporting for Gizmodo: Facebook workers routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers from the social network's influential "trending" news section, according to a former journalist who worked on the project. This individual says that workers prevented stories about the right-wing CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul, and other conservative topics from appearing in the highly-influential section, even though they were organically trending among the site's users. In other words, Facebook's news section operates like a traditional newsroom, reflecting the biases of its workers and the institutional imperatives of the corporation. Imposing human editorial values onto the lists of topics an algorithm spits out is by no means a bad thing -- but it is in stark contrast to the company's claims that the trending module simply lists "topics that have recently become popular on Facebook." The revelation comes amid a report on the same publication which claimed that a small group of journalists controlled and decided what should trend on Facebook. Also recently, a leaked screenshot revealed Facebook employees asking whether they should do something to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the president.
Ah yes the "liberal media" LOL. The largest single news source in the US is Fox News, but sure, let's go with that obscure idea that there's some left-wing media. MSNBC is the only one that's left wing, CNN and the rest are fairly neutral or right leaning by multiple sources, but you keep on believing your little weird world view. Add to that conservatives control all talk radio, large swaths of the internet and Twitter and despite what this article implies without a shred of actual evidence, you know, proof, you continue to think you're able to discern truth any better than a naive high schooler. This article is a right wing circle jerk and nothing more.
This is just journalism majors being journalism majors. It's why we can't get decent coverage of science stories.
Bullcrap. This has been the primary point of contention between Bernie Sanders and the democratic leadership. The current democratic front runner for president is on record as saying it is impossible and a bad idea and will never ever happen. Thats the democratic standard these days, its not very liberal.
Now if the question was "do you hear progressives calling for full public healtcare" then sure, that happens all the time, but the democratic party no longer strongly represents progressive values. It only supports things that are "liberal" when they can draw a line of outrage between them and the republicans.
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
Is there a liberal equivalent of talk radio?
Commercially, no. All large scale commercial attempts have failed spectacularly. Air America is the most outstanding attempt that comes to mind. The only national network is NPR. While not specifically liberal, the network tends toward liberal views. Many of NPR's large supporters have a liberal bend so they have a large influence on their programming.
There several independent liberal radio station but they tend be in larger, more affluent cities.
You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?