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Mark Zuckerberg: 'No Evidence' Facebook Staff Suppressed Stories With Conservative Viewpoints (theverge.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Mark Zuckerberg has issued a statement in response to the controversy alleging that Facebook staff intentionally prevented stories with a conservative viewpoint from appearing in the site's Trending Topics section. "We take this report very seriously and are conducting a full investigation to ensure our teams upheld the integrity of this product," Zuckerberg writes on Facebook. "We have found no evidence that this report is true. If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it." Zuckerberg says he will invite "leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum" to discuss the matter in the coming weeks, with the aim of having a "direct conversation about what Facebook stands for and how we can be sure our platform stays as open as possible." Earlier today, more evidence surfaced to support Gawker's two recent reports that claimed editors manipulate the trending news. Facebook published a blog post explaining how Trending Topics on its platform works, insisting there's no discrimination against sources of any political origin.

209 of 346 comments (clear)

  1. Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "We have found no evidence that this report is true" may be the contrapositive of we have found evidence it is false but it's not the same thing

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You mean to say that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. His claim is not a conditional statement in formal logic, so it doesn't have a contrapositive.

    2. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They investigated themselves and found no wrongdoing.

    3. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by rahvin112 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So what? Again a non-fucking story. He can run that trending thing however the fucking company wants under current law.

      The GOP wants to reinstate the fairness doctrine in broadcast mediums if they want this fixed. Course that's a double edge sword that results in people getting both sides of every story and THAT would mean the end of the GOP. The entire party and it's doctrine relies on people being misinformed by an echo chamber constantly reinforcing the same idea over and over until the consumers believe it.

    4. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by neilo_1701D · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, Prime Minister: https://youtu.be/vKer_nMOIZ8?t...

      PM: I told them that I hadn't found any evidence
      Bernard: That's because you haven't been looking
      Sir Humphry: And we haven't shown you any
      PM: Yes, well done!

    5. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You know what's funny?

      When's the last time you saw a headline like "so and so suppressed Liberal/Progressive viewpoints"? Or "IRS directed to target outspoken Liberal/Progressive organizations"? Yeah, neither have I. It's always the Conservative viewpoints targeted by censorship or intimidation of some kind. Those are techniques people use when they are not secure in their own views and feel threatened by opposing views.

      Why it's as if one side plays dirtier than the other. Must be the same reason that vote fraud (especially when illegal immigrants vote) overwhelmingly favors Democrats. Understand, I think both parties are toxic and this government is a cancer on the nation, and like all cancers it just doesn't want to stop growing, but still I cannot help but notice these things.

    6. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by nevermindme · · Score: 1

      Who is misinformed? GOP and Conservative is vocally against fairness doctrine, you must have missed it over on PBSRadio. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/da... If the stations that carried conservatives Beck, Rush and Mark would have to offer equal time there would not be enough time in the day. It is slanted, it is biased but Conservative Talk has kept AM and FM talk stations alive in small markets across the united states.

    7. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by goombah99 · · Score: 1

      hey fox news has Colmes.

      --
      Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    8. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Or "IRS directed to target outspoken Liberal/Progressive organizations"?

      That actually happened. The IRS even confirmed it.

    9. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by mellon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have plenty of evidence that the report is false, in the form of people bloviating on my timeline.

    10. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by mellon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It would be the salvation of the GOP. The GOP was actually a useful party back when we had the fairness doctrine. Bunch of stuffed shirts, but they got shit done and cooperated with Democrats.

    11. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by bigfinger76 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The IRS targeted conservative groups, not liberal ones.
      IRS Targeting Controversy

    12. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by zugmeister · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey... if it's good enough for the police it should be good enough for Facebook, right?

    13. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by LoyalOpposition · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "He can run that trending thing however the fucking company wants under current law."

      Perhaps not. Suppose someone offers you a deal where you agree to read the advertisements he promotes, and in return you get to see the most popular stories from everyone in his group. Suppose you agree to that deal. Then, if you read the advertisements, but he only offers you the most popular liberal stories, then he's in breach of contract.

      I'm not saying that's what happened. I'm just saying that it may be more than merely a case of freedom of speech on Facebook's part.

      ~Loyal

      --
      I aim to misbehave.
    14. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Mashiki · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Uh. You might want to go back and re-read some stuff...like facts. It's the democrats who liked the fairness doctrine, and it was them most recently who tried to get it back in several times in fact. I picked two left-leaning sources. So have some right leaning sources as well. The GOP has been fundamentally against that.

      One also can't forget that it was Zuckerburg that threw the hissyfit over "all lives matter" because people think that "black lives matter" is BS.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    15. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by epyT-R · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, they're the words of someone trying to hide his political views. of course, it's his site, he can do what he wants, but it's a dickish move to feign objectivity. I mean, the guy started fwd.us after all.

    16. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

      The GOP was actually a useful party back when we had the fairness doctrine...they got shit done and cooperated with Democrats

      Indeed. They now have a conspiratorial narrative whereby Democrats are plotting to take away their guns and Christmas trees, while Obamacare doctors turn their kids gay by vaccinating them with secret Sharia sauce.

    17. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by SchroedingersCat · · Score: 2

      This is non-denial denial: "we cannot confirm that report is true".

    18. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Bunch of stuffed shirts, but they got shit done and cooperated with Democrats.

      Do you mean when they cooperated, and ran up $18 trillion in debt? Or when they cooperated and launched the dumbest war in history, with bipartisan support? I think I prefer gridlock.

    19. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      It's not actually the contrapositive. Contrapositives are equivalent to each other. Also, they only apply to conditionals, and there are no conditionals here, so that statement has no contrapositive.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    20. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Bartles · · Score: 1

      What descent?

    21. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      There are no contracts involved here, not between the users and Facebook. It's not a trade of ad-views for specified content; it's just a package of content and ads offered for free.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    22. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by epyT-R · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, there can be multilateral sides to a story. A 'fairness' doctrine would not be any friendlier to the truth because the truth is usually not 'fair.' Also, the GOP does not have a monopoly on echo chambers and hugboxes. Your post is proof of that.

    23. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Conservative values are not a single "thing". Treating real problems as simplistic, is childish.

    24. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, I hope not. Individual rights are important. Without them, citizens end up receiving inhuman treatment in manufactured 'class struggles' as we've seen in the various 'people's republics' during the cold war.

      I am confused by your choice of words and lack of context. You meant that as long as people have free speech, they can criticize the flaws in others' statements? That's a good thing. This right is needed for democracy to have a shot at functioning.

      These days both sides are supporting fake 'religious liberty.' The neocons support christians as they always have, and the left supports muslims, even when they rape women. I guess islamophobia is a worse sin than rape in the oppression olympics.

    25. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by davester666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You need to immediately forward your message to the head of the RNC.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    26. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      If you are going to post a link to support your argument, you may want to make sure it actually supports your argument. That Wikipedia articles says it targeted both liberal and conservative non-profit corporations looking for violations of the laws governing non-profits.

    27. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No. Conservative values are dead. But faux victimhood will keep pretend religious liberty and freedom to hate alive for a little longer.

      And Venezuela, Greece, and Detroit didn't run out of other people's money.

    28. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Mashiki · · Score: 2

      Read the article then. That was their "free speech wall" and he threw a hissyfit because people had a differing point of view.

      Nope, none of the "all lives matter" complaints are logical, except racism. Black lives matter, but white lives matter more.

      That sure explains why blacks kill more of their own then police do right? If those lives actually mattered then they be looking at home and trying to fix those severe culture and social issues, but nope they'd rather whine and cry. Especially after it was them, and their community leaders who pushed so very hard for this line of policing in the first place in the 1990's.

      Secret spoiler: They pushed so hard because that was the time when crack started to become the scourge in black communities, and wanted the police to do something about it.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    29. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > the left supports muslims, even when they rape women

      [citation needed]

    30. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fey000 · · Score: 1

      You make it sound like a bad thing. I would welcome any form of fairness doctrine regardless of how it affects the political situation. The end result can only be positive for the voters, short-term and long.

    31. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fey000 · · Score: 1

      "We found the evidence, we set it on fire, and now we can't find any evidence that this report is true. Rest assured that we will not stop until we can no longer find any evidence that this was ever true".

    32. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Yet it's always the Democrats that are pushing for vote fraud reduction, and Republicans putting in Diebold and such, while claiming there's no voter fraud.."

      Actually repubs do specifically claim that there is "voter" fraud (election fraud committed by individual voters - hence the "Help America Vote Act"), they just claim there is no "election fraud" committed by election officials.

    33. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      what makes it a good think?

      Perhaps you should go away and have one.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    34. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Feral+Nerd · · Score: 4, Informative

      Nah, the Liberals are so used to it, they stopped complaining. The conservatives own the media (the traditional media at least) and complain endlessly about how they cover themselves.

      Must be the same reason that vote fraud (especially when illegal immigrants vote) overwhelmingly favors Democrats.

      Yet it's always the Democrats that are pushing for vote fraud reduction, and Republicans putting in Diebold and such, while claiming there's no voter fraud..

      The last time I looked it was Republicans who were whipping up a panic over voter fraud and demanding photo IDs to combat this even though study after study had shown that voter fraud is not a huge issue in the US. Then a few Republican functionaries went on record and explained in interviews how several conservatives running for office had benefited from the photo ID requirement because people less likely to vote Republican had been required to jump through flaming hoops to get a photo ID. Now, what is the real problem? Voter fraud which is pretty much non existent? Or is it Republicans making sure that people likely to vote Democrat have a hard time getting their hands on a photo ID? Not that this is a debate I even understand (in the sense: why is this even an issue?). Where I come from your photo ID is something you need to have to make use of public services so people usually get one in their very early teens. Kids get a social security card which they use until they learn how to drive a scooter at 15 or a car at 17 and after that everybody uses their drivers license as voter ID except for the 3% of or so of the population that does not have a driver's license, usually for some medical reason. I can relate much more to the discussions in the US about gerrymandering by means of things like the creation of ridiculously shaped voting districts because that is one shenanigan that political parties in my country practice with the same amount of enthusiasm as their counterparts in the US.

    35. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Bit rich for republicans to whinge about voting fraud after the travesty that allowed Bush in.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    36. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Sure seems like it, especially since this just came to light and it does indeed look like people are the ones inserting their bias and controlling exactly what's being promoted.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    37. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by bursch-X · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Have you committed a crime that kept you from accessing the Internet for that last few years?

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
    38. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by bursch-X · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The left replaces religion with other dogmas and collectivism like radical feminism, cis white male original sin, oppression Olympics and class struggle as in communism. Potato, potato. Same tactics.

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
    39. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except this is absolutely catastrophically wrong. You might want to look up the Israeli Kibbutz systems as well as agrarian christianity for some examples of strongly left-leaning religious political movements and organizations.

      The reason people get confused over this is confirmation bias. You have a chip on your shoulder about religion so you look only at those topics where religions tend to favor the rightwingers (family focus, traditionalism) and ignore the values they hold that have traditionally inspired the left before the left fractured into inter-warring tribes of people taking offense at everything (charity, wealth redistribution)

      As to the last statement, look up the situation of Scandinavian state churches. You'll cook up some ad hoc hypothesis about why they are not true representations but that is because your definition is so biased as to not merit discussion.

    40. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by bursch-X · · Score: 1

      They didn't find it because their censors already did away with it. Sneaky. ;-)

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
    41. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by AK+Marc · · Score: 1
      I read it. It looked like the issue was people defacing BLM posts with ALM posts. It wasn't the message that was put up, but the destruction of what other's posted that was the specific objection. Perhaps you need to read your own links.

      They pushed so hard because that was the time when crack started to become the scourge in black communities, and wanted the police to do something about it.

      At the peak of crack, it was more used by whites than blacks. The publicity around Blacks was vilifying Black people, not crack, and using that as excuse to target Blacks for a colorblind problem. That you reject reality doesn't change it.

    42. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The conservatives own the "traditional" media? NY Times, Washington Post, CNN, ABC/NBC/CBS for the most part ignore stories that would have been brought up every single day if it was GWB or other Republican. Sure Fox is slanted right, especially the night line up.

      However, politicians in general are pure bullshit artists, and tend to stick around way too long. Sure this country needs tax reform, immigration reform, term limits, spending issues... both sides are to blame, and both sides are to blame for not even trying to work together.

      As far as ID's to vote... vote via absentee ballot if you are elderly or have another reason. I see nothing wrong with having someone get a valid county ID, or other. I need to produce like 6 points of ID to renew my driver's license where I live. Illegals can get them pretty easy in other states... but even where I vote I just state my name and I sign where someone else hasn't voted in my place already.

      The system will not change with Hillary or Donald. Bullshit will be said what the base wants to hear and then total opposite.

    43. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      And Chelsey Clinton is giving speeches about how her mother will finally outlaw guns now that Scalia is dead and there is an opening on the Supreme Court.

      I don't think you can call it a conspiracy if they are telling people that is their plan.
      Video Feel free to ignore the news article with it, just watch the video.

    44. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You're American left, which is decidedly centrist. The European leftists, on the otherhand, are giving away their countries.

    45. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Ever met a Christian who sold up all their stuff, gave the money away to the poor, and hit the road to spread the good news?

      Yes, in outback Queensland, he was lugging a full sized a cross down the highway in 45C heat, miles from anywhere. Strange guy, wouldn't recommend the lifestyle.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    46. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Mashiki · · Score: 4, Informative

      I read it. It looked like the issue was people defacing BLM posts with ALM posts. It wasn't the message that was put up, but the destruction of what other's posted that was the specific objection. Perhaps you need to read your own links.

      Read it again, you obviously missed the "We're supporting BLM cause reasons" bit. Or do you need me to draw the exact quote out for you? Reminder that those free speech walls mean that people can do whatever they want, and in turn are supposed to be free from repercussions?

      At the peak of crack, it was more used by whites than blacks. The publicity around Blacks was vilifying Black people, not crack, and using that as excuse to target Blacks for a colorblind problem. That you reject reality doesn't change it.

      We're not talking about peak. We're talking about what said culture created, that you don't even know what the reality of that period was or how loud those mouth pieces were is far more telling. I'll help you out though, go and start reading news paper articles on al sharpton and jessie jackson from 1993-1998 and their cries for more police. Don't worry when that reality bites you in the ass.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    47. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by ScentCone · · Score: 2

      You're (knowingly, of course) fighting a straw man, here. The GOP doesn't want it "fixed," they simply want them not to lie about it. The last thing anyone needs is the unconstitutional "fairness doctrine" back in the role of government control over speech.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    48. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by John+Jorsett · · Score: 1

      So what? Again a non-fucking story. He can run that trending thing however the fucking company wants under current law.

      You're right, it's his site and he can do with it what he wants. However, if he's going to make public pronouncements regarding its neutrality and objectivity, he needs to live up to that. At a minimum the processes involved should be public and completely transparent so that users can decide how much they want to trust what FB is doing. By the way, your argument needs more "fuck"s to really sound intelligent.

    49. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Nchantim · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Republicans who were whipping up a panic over voter fraud and demanding photo IDs to combat this even though study after study had shown that voter fraud is not a huge issue in the US

      Next thing you know, they'll want a $20 poll tax each time you vote!

    50. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by jmac_the_man · · Score: 5, Informative
      Regardless of what some dickhead wrote on Wikipedia, that's not what happened. Existing tax exempt liberal groups were investigated for violations of law, and either cleared or charged at the end of the investigation. Newly-formed conservative groups were subjected to "investigation" which were designed to be onerous and unending, thus preventing them from getting tax exemption in the first place. The conservative groups were "suspected of" being prone to violate laws WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN STRUCK DOWN AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL and thus were no longer in force.

      Lumping the two together is a red herring used by the IRS and its liberal defenders to cover up the fact that the Obama Administration used the machinery of government to harass their political opponents.

    51. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      ... you don't represent the entire left wing. there is certainly elements of the left in the US that bitch more about what Israel does daily, than what should be done in Syria.

      when putatively up to 2000 civilians died in Operation Protective Edge, all you heard about was israeli atrocity. Meanwhile I think the death-toll in syria at the same time had risen to 200000 dead.
      something like 8000 dead children alone. :) if a muslim kills a muslim nobody cares apparently.
      i forget the joke I read at the time, it was rather morbid... it went something like, 'maybe we should get some jews to kill us too, maybe then we'll get some attention.'

    52. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're American left, which is decidedly centrist. The European leftists, on the otherhand, are giving away their countries.

      That isn't just the European leftists; the American left is giving away the U.S. by refusing to enforce any immigration laws.

    53. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      That is largely because they are plotting conspiracies.

      Seriously. It is commonly known that they have agendas and desires that are not universally supported so they attempt to attach riders to acceptable bills named something like patriot act or keeping children safe act.

    54. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by hesiod · · Score: 1

      It's a common misdirection tactic: if you are guilty of something, loudly accuse someone else of the same, or worse. It's mostly used by children and politicians.

    55. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by halivar · · Score: 1

      Ever met a Christian who sold up all their stuff, gave the money away to the poor, and hit the road to spread the good news?

      Yes?

    56. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JustBoo · · Score: 1

      If a Muslim kills a Christian in the middle-east the liberal press certainly does not care either. They refuse to cover it or even acknowledge it.

    57. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by jmac_the_man · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He can run that trending thing however the fucking company wants under current law.

      You're correct on this point, although the rest of post is bullshit.

      Statistically speaking, all conservatives realize that CBS, NBC, and ABC are biased against conservatives and Republicans at least 90% of the time. Also statistically speaking, no conservative wants some kind of government mandate for them to cut it out. They're private businesses and can do what they want. (PBS and NPR are different because they're taxpayer funded.)

      Facebook is also a private business and also shouldn't be mandated by the government to change how Trending Topics work. The reason the story is important is because people need to know that Trending Topics are full of shit in the same way the network news is.

    58. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JustBoo · · Score: 1

      You do realize every single muslim is on the right politically. The Right is where politics and religion mix. You can't have a liberal(left) religious government. Every religious based government is based on conservative viewpoints.

      And that is the absolute mind-numbing paradox of self-loathing leftist liberals. When they get their wish for Muslims to take control and let Sharia Law become the law of the land they, the leftist, will be the first to be slaughtered and extinguished.

      Most especially the self-loathing liberal Jews and LGBT types. They will be wiped out because they have no means to defend themselves. It is sick irony unto itself.

      Incredulous? Refer to the short little (ex?)leader of Iran who said in front of the UN that there are no gays in Iran. That's because they hung (killed) them all.

    59. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JustBoo · · Score: 1

      Hey... if it's good enough for the police it should be good enough for Facebook, right?

      It's funny (but not haha funny), you should say that. I do think King Zuckerburg has become so full of himself, he does think he now has powers equal to or greater than a state or government. And as Hillary has proven, liberal politicians believe they are above the law. Zuckerberg is no different.

      In Liberal Farmland; all pigs are equal. But some pigs are more equal than others.

    60. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JustBoo · · Score: 1

      Regardless of what some dickhead wrote on Wikipedia, that's not what happened. Existing tax exempt liberal groups were investigated for violations of law, and either cleared or charged at the end of the investigation. Newly-formed conservative groups were subjected to "investigation" which were designed to be onerous and unending, thus preventing them from getting tax exemption in the first place. The conservative groups were "suspected of" being prone to violate laws WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN STRUCK DOWN AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL and thus were no longer in force.

      Lumping the two together is a red herring used by the IRS and its liberal defenders to cover up the fact that the Obama Administration used the machinery of government to harass their political opponents.

      +100 Man, I wish I had points left. Because... An Inconvenient Truth. Yep.

    61. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JustBoo · · Score: 1

      If you, for one minute, think the main stream media are controlled by conservatives, you are living in a self-induced Dream-World. All the "Big Lie" reverse psychology will not change reality. Ditto on the total BS about voter fraud. Just make shit up and see what sticks eh?

    62. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "These days both sides are supporting fake 'religious liberty.' The neocons support christians as they always have, and the left supports muslims, even when they rape women. I guess islamophobia is a worse sin than rape in the oppression olympics."

      Wish I had mod points right now!

    63. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Khashishi · · Score: 1

      Why is the law relevant here? Zuckerberg is defending the public opinion of Facebook. Zuckerberg is free to say whatever he wants, but the court of public opinion is a lot more fickle than the court of law, and has a lot more teeth when applied to a corporation (in contrast to a person).

    64. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 1

      Everything about this story is that it's a hit attempt by someone who got laid off.

      1) FORMER employees
      2) ANONYMOUS former employees - even though they are no longer employed by the company, they are not willing to identify themselves. It's pretty clear they know they would lose a libel lawsuit if their identity became known.

      --
      retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
    65. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by jc42 · · Score: 1

      They investigated themselves and found no wrongdoing.

      Actually, he didn't even say that. His comment is consistent with the conjecture that they didn't find anything because they didn't even bother looking.

      ;-)

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    66. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Gadget_Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll leave this here.

      Why is it that whenever anyone uses the phrase "I'll leave this here" it almost invariably links to an irrelevant video. I think that people do it to appear that they are answering a question or providing evidence in the hope that nobody will actually watch the video and realise that they have got nothing.

      In this case the video did not even come close to providing the requested citation for the claim that "the left supports muslims, even when they rape women". In fact, all it showed was a video of someone asking "how can we fight an ideological war with weapons... how can you ever win this thing if you don't address it ideologically". Like you responding with an irrelevant video that mentions neither the left or rape, the panelist ignores the question and goes on a rant about how it doesn't matter that most Muslims are peaceful, aren't radical and that they aren't the enemy.

      It seems to be a common school of thought in certain ideologies that you don't need to address the question or topic being discussed as long as you answer forcefully. If you can't convince people with a logical argument then do it with a loud one.

    67. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Gadget_Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Have you committed a crime that kept you from accessing the Internet for that last few years?

      Assuming that you haven't also committed a crime, you should be able to link to evidence that you have found on the Internet that the left supports rapist Muslims. That is unless you are just bluffing and going by your gut feeling instead of actual facts.

      And if your argument is that "neocons support christians as they always have, and the left supports muslims, even when they rape women", does that mean that neocons support Christians even when they are pedophiles? It's not as if there hasn't been a lot of covering up of priests abusing alter boys over the years.

      And no, that is not what I think. I just said it to point out the inconsistency of your statement. I believe that all people would condemn rapists and pedophiles no matter who they are (with the obvious exception of other rapists and pedophiles).

    68. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by ultranova · · Score: 1

      It is commonly known that they have agendas and desires that are not universally supported

      Do you know many parties who's sole agenda is that we shouldn't have to all hit ourselves on the groin with a baseball bat every morning?

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    69. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      You do realize every single muslim is on the right politically. The Right is where politics and religion mix. You can't have a liberal(left) religious government. Every religious based government is based on conservative viewpoints.

      It's hard to be more wrong than what you wrote even though it fit's your bias nicely.

      http://thinkprogress.org/secur...

    70. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by harrkev · · Score: 2

      That Wikipedia articles says it targeted both liberal and conservative non-profit corporations

      From the Wikipedia article:

      Media Trackers, a conservative organization, applied to the IRS for recognition of tax-exempt status, and received no response after waiting 16 months. When the organization's founder, Drew Ryun, applied for permanent tax-exempt status for an existing tax-exempt organization with what he said was a "liberal-sounding name" ("Greenhouse Solutions"), that application was approved in three weeks.

      --
      "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    71. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by JackieBrown · · Score: 3

      Actually, it's because only Conservatives drum up bullshit stories like this. Go look up the facts - the IRS targeted both Conservative and Liberal organizations. But of course you didn't hear that in the Faux Noise echo chamber of hate.

      First, the implementation is what was different. Second, I love when people "cleverly" misspell Fox, Conservative, Republican, or Tea Party. It lets me know I'm dealing with someone who is used to winning by name calling.

    72. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fbobraga · · Score: 1

      That sure explains why blacks kill more of their own then police do right?

      it applies only for black people?

    73. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fbobraga · · Score: 1

      fuck the fucking fuckers!

    74. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Alypius · · Score: 2

      Everything about your post is wrong. Authoritarian != right wing.

    75. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Kreplock · · Score: 1

      The Repugs aren't exactly enforcing immigration law, either. And so we got Trump as a plausible candidate for next president. Of the US. Incredibly.

    76. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fbobraga · · Score: 1

      this thread remembered this image ^^

    77. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      I know some very devout Christian leftists. They don't want Christianity itself to be in government, but want it run on Christian values like "whatever you do to the least of these, you do to Me".

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    78. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I think I prefer gridlock.

      Yeah.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    79. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by david_thornley · · Score: 2

      None of the leftists I know are even slightly in favor of Sharia law. They are in favor of treating Muslims like people.

      The paradox of Muslim politics is that they can get accepted by the Left, but their values tend to align with the Right. The first Muslim in Congress is a leftist, despite the political leanings of most Muslims, since he had to run in a leftist district to get elected, and we don't elect anything similar to right-wing politicians.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    80. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      The evidence for election fraud is much stronger than that for vote fraud.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    81. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      According to a friend who has studied the issue, Jesus didn't just give blanket advice, but tailored it to people. The rich guy was told to sell all he had and give the money to the poor, and walked away unwilling to do that. He was more attached to his money than to what Jesus was saying, and that (according to my friend) was bad. He talked to a LOT of people, and didn't repeat that advice.

      On the other hand, he was about as clear about paying taxes as he got about anything, and the Christian right seems determined to ignore that.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    82. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      When I look at Facebook, I see an entry labeled "Trending stories". It doesn't say "All trending stories" or "trending stories as determined by an algorithm". I assume that these stories are "trending", but nothing seems to tell me they're not selected to appeal to me and try to get my eyeballs on a few more ads.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    83. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And Chelsey Clinton is giving speeches about how her mother will finally outlaw guns now that Scalia is dead and there is an opening on the Supreme Court.

      I don't think you can call it a conspiracy if they are telling people that is their plan.
      Video Feel free to ignore the news article with it, just watch the video.

      She said they have a CHANCE of increased gun CONTROL, something I am against, but far from banning guns. Scalia was a shitbag who thankfully is now rotting in hell where he belongs.

    84. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by SoftwareArtist · · Score: 1

      Statistically speaking, all conservatives realize that CBS, NBC, and ABC are biased against conservatives and Republicans at least 90% of the time.

      Did you really just say what I think you said? "Statistically speaking, here's a BS number I just made up without evidence about how many other people also make things up without evidence." It's not just BS. It's meta BS!

      --
      "I'm too busy to research this and form an educated opinion, but I do have time to tell everyone my uninformed opinion."
    85. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Read it again,

      "employees recently crossed out Black Lives Matter "
      "[Marc] described the acts as "unacceptable" and "malicious,""
      "Zuckerberg states in the memo that the company has launched an investigation to find out who was crossing out Black Lives Matter signage."

      The complaints are about defacing the wall, not about employees failing to support BLM.

      that you don't even know what the reality of that period was or how loud those mouth pieces were is far more telling.

      I lived it. Your recollection needs work.

    86. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Because Blacks kill more Blacks than police kill Blacks proves blacks are evil killers of their own kind. Because whites kill more whites than police kill whites, it's proof that the police are kind, benevolent and peaceful. It's a hilarious double standard.

    87. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

      You missed the point, or read what you wanted to read. Or, more likely, you have suspended your logic and intelligence because you are looking at a "religious document." Don't worry, you're not alone. Most people do it. Thank goodness theologians don't. Familiarity breeds contempt and all.

      Jesus said that to one very specific person. Notice that he did not tell that to every person who followed him this, nor did he require it for everyone that followed him. You can note this from a variety of reasons, not the least of which is when he told some of his followers to buy swords to defend themselves.

      So, logically we are left with the question "why did he tell this one guy that?" The answer is obvious from the text and from the context of what Jesus says about himself and his positions, and also from the reaction of the guy Jesus told that to. Namely that Jesus knew that this person loved money and wealth above all things. For this one person, he recommended putting away his one true love, said give it up completely, and instead give that same level of love and devotion to all mankind.

      Of course, the guy said no. He was a money grubbing idiot who cared first for his wealth, and everything and everyone else second, third, or last by comparison. Lots of people put things above their love for all mankind. Its the default position we are raised into. Jesus just pointed out to that guy that he would be "serving two masters" if he didn't give up his love for money and possessions first.

      Applying that one request, given to only one person in the entire new testament bible, to every Christian everywhere and everywhen is inconsistent. Jesus didn't do it, so way would you think it is logical to tell everyone that is what he really meant?

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
    88. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by fbobraga · · Score: 1

      it is a bit racist to associate (or assume) a certain religion with a race.

      Really is, my bad, sorry :/

    89. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Or it just means that they also took no steps to find evidence. I would be disappointed if Mark Zuckerberg and his minions did previously arrange for plausible deniability when this was set up.

    90. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      I agree Facebook can do whatever they want but the objective here is to *look* unbiased making their media manipulations more effective.

      In a similar way, the FBI and various government agencies want it to *look* like the law and courts protect digital communications and storage so there is no reason to put up with the inconvenience of ubiquitous encryption and that was their plan after the Clipper chip fiasco until they got caught.

    91. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Exactly, contracts require due consideration from all parties and affirmative assent.

    92. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      According to Facebook's own published documentation, their staff decides when to "elevate" a topic, when to blacklist it, when to combine it with another "related" topic, when a topic deserves to be allowed to trend on its own.

      Facebook has explicit guidelines which elevate specific news websites to the status of deciding when a story is important or not. The work flow for how to elevate a topic requires that to be a National Story it must be leading at least 5 of the following websites: BBC News, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, NBC News, The NY Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Buzzfeed News. To be a Major Story it must be leading all 10. If the above 10 aren't where you get your news, well, too bad. If you have something trending which is headlining The National Review, Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall Street Journal, Washingon Times, Redstate and Drudge, guess what? According to the rules that's at best a local topic, not good enough to be made a trending National Story.

      So Clinton and Lewinsky? Wouldn't have been a National Story in the trending topics. Benghazi failures after asking for help? Not a National Story in the trending topics. Clinton's personal IT guy at State who was a political appointee getting immunity and State not being able to produce a single email he send/received from his own account (only a handful from other people's accounts)? Not a National Story in the trending topics.

      Yep, no bias there. It just happens that 7/10 out of the only news web sites recognized as the "quality" gatekeepers are left-wing when compared to the average US political viewpoint and you need at least 5/10 to elevate a trending topic to be a National Story. Just a coincidence it's setup that way, no confirmation bias there at all. No intent to limit what can trend and be marked for people's attention.

      Plus, I'm sure no young left-wing journalism major would ever let their own opinions impact which topics they choose to deep-six... never happen...

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    93. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      No, I'm not aware of any parties with that agenda. However, i can see how it might be pleasurable at different times just not every morning. I get in moods when i like petite women in high heels stepping around there. If you think you need this every morning, maybe you should talk with your sexslave union rep about it as I don't think it is actually a law. He likely would know if any parties exist with that goal or not.

    94. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by BundyGil · · Score: 1

      Any articles contrary to the narrow and usually wrong conservative view is always viewed as an anti conservative conspiracy.

    95. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Also "If we find anything against our principles" means nothing if one of their core principles is, like most highly educated ivy leaguers, spreading liberal talking points and supressing conservative ones.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    96. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by dryeo · · Score: 1

      Can you name one successful non-authoritarian right winger? A Gandhi, Mandala, Dali Lama, or even the current Pope? Shit even most of the signers of the American Constitution were leftists.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    97. Re: Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      The same holds for Judaism but it's not popular to point that out.

    98. Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? by ricerkare · · Score: 1

      Lack of evidence is not the contrapositive of evidence of lack ;)

  2. The evidence was wiped, like with a cloth! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "There's not a smidgen of evidence that (FB suppressed conservative stories|the IRS targeted conservative groups|Hillary Clinton leaked classified information to the Russians and Chinese through her insecure email server). We made sure to delete it all."

  3. Google, Facebook, Reddit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    If you don't think these corporate media giants don't influence, frame or inject domestic and foreign policy agendas then you are still that little kid playing Farmville.

    1. Re:Google, Facebook, Reddit by Frobnicator · · Score: 1

      If you don't think these corporate media giants don't influence, frame or inject domestic and foreign policy agendas then you are still that little kid playing Farmville.

      Influence is tricky in real life. Any small choice humans make is likely to have some bias. Humans express their biases everywhere, even in taking small but measurable differences in making choices when working to counter their bias.

      The company openly admits that humans make choices in what shows up. Zuckerberg also openly admits that there possibly is bias. More critically: He openly states he and the company will investigate which at this point is the best thing we can ask.

      With humans making choices to what shows up and what is passed over, even when the humans are doing a really good job of only filtering out spam and problem posts there is still a bias that gets introduced. That bias is an influence, and Zuckerburg was quick to note in his statement that while he didn't see any obvious problems that had taken place, he agreed bias still needs to be investigated at least.

      If he had announced that there was no way there was bias in the human-managed system or declared that he would not have investigated, that would have been a problem.

      --
      //TODO: Think of witty sig statement
  4. Supression no. Displacement, maybe? by Dread_ed · · Score: 2

    Maybe the Facebook news team didn't suppress any conservative stories. Maybe they just elevated other stories over all others. The effect may have been the same, but if that is the case he's technically not lying.

    Not that equivocation of that level is commendable. Quite the opposite actually.

    --
    When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  5. Re:GOP has too much hateful speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you define anything you disagree with as hate speech you get to the situation we have here. Self justification for dummies.

  6. Re:GOP has too much hateful speech by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Insightful

    True, and everything our opponents say is hateful by definition.

    --
    - These characters were randomly selected.
  7. He is.... by ExXter · · Score: 2, Interesting

    a big liar. I know, being directly involved in an investigation against the German government and a process of censorship across Germany for all posts which are not aligned with German governmental thinking and political correctness that Facebook not just directly collaborates with the German government but also complies with their injustice and unjust requests to censor all posts which the government in Germany doesn't want nor allow. Topics which are censored are majorly involved in uncovering lies above lies in regard to the refugees scheming currently shacking all of Europe and the Muslim thread that it involves. America doesn't have this issue and Facebook does not need to fear peoples prosecution because Facebook cannot be prosecuted in Europe for censoring free speech and truth with a dictatorship that chancellor Merkel currently builds.

    1. Re:He is.... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      If you have actual evidence, and can stop making ridiculous generalisations which tar the vast majority of refugees who are innocent of any "scheming", you can say what you want. If your argument is based on unsubstantiated nonsense, expect your argument to be destroyed, as it wasn't even an argument to begin with.

      The fact you made a whole bunch of claims and logical absurdities while summarising your argument doesn't show you're on a particularly sound footing, and you should expect everything you get if you are too lazy to accurately construct a logically coherent argument.

      Germany knows what happens when idiots make unchallenged generalisations condemning minorities.

    2. Re:He is.... by Maritz · · Score: 2

      Topics which are censored are majorly involved in uncovering lies above lies in regard to the refugees scheming currently shacking all of Europe and the Muslim thread that it involves.

      What does this mean? Can't figure it out.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  8. We know Zuckerberg's principles by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Informative

    Zuckerberg's 'principles' involve stealing passwords and reading other people's email.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    1. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A few others too, like appropriating other people's stocks.

      I get the feeling he's positioning himself for a political career. He's got a good social media platform for it and tons of followers.

    2. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by Xest · · Score: 1

      Yes, because we all know that something someone does at university shapes their entire existence until the end of time.

      I got really drunk and threw up in a graveyard when I was 17, but I sure as hell have never, nor will ever again do this. It's not like that one incident means I've become a serial graveyard defiler. There's a big difference between the irresponsibility of what people do when they're young and how they act as they get older.

      Frankly, if you didn't engage in anything like that as a teenager then you probably missed out on a great education in technology. Morally wrong? ethically wrong? legally wrong? Probably, part of a fairly typical hormone filled growing up? Yep.

      If we were all defined by what we did when we were 19, then unless you're some kind of mormon prude then we'd all be fucked.

    3. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I would agree with you if there were any indication that he's changed. AFAICT he's still the same guy.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    4. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by Xest · · Score: 2

      Is there evidence he's hacked into anyone elses account since, or are you basing that judgement entirely on unfounded speculation?

      I'm not much a fan of Zuckerberg, but I'm even less a fan of unfounded assumption. I think when it's implied that something is wrong without evidence is detracts from legitimate discussion about things that are actually wrong. If enough wrong accusations are thrown at him he can hide behind those false accusations with dismissal of them to evade legitimate concern about real actual problems, such as his willingness to flagrantly and consistently breach European Data Protection Law with his European operations.

      Don't give him the excuse of being able to dismiss criticism with the claim he always has unfounded accusations thrown at him by throwing unfounded accusations at him.

    5. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Stick to facts, unless you want to look like someone with an agenda other than "learning the truth".

    6. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Informative

      Oh yeah, I didn't mean that he still hacks into people's email, just that he doesn't seem particularly principled: just a self-serving guy (who might still hack people's email if he could get away with it). From time to time he says stuff that leads me to believe that.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    7. Re:We know Zuckerberg's principles by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the reminder, it's important to keep that in mind.

      As for an agenda, I freely admit my agenda is that I don't like Zuckerberg.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  9. Re:Of course it's true by Z80a · · Score: 1

    Actually the political stance don't end defining much how much a person care about facts or evidences.
    I mean, if you look at the american colleges right now, there is this awful cult using the "liberal" as a base to create this horrible racist and sexist indoctrination.
    But on other hand, you got GOP bible trumpers that are just as fanatic.

  10. Why is it important? by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Facebook is a private website. They are free to post whatever they like. Why would it matter if stories of a particular political alignment are less likely than others to show up? There is no shortage of other places where you can get news, either...

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:Why is it important? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      It matters because they claimed that "trending" was determined by computer algorithms that analyzed what people were actually talking about, but that turned out to be a lie: they were instead determined by people, who necessarily have a bias.

      It matters because it artificially shapes how people see the world. Facebook isn't just "a news site" it's also a site that - in theory - shows you how your friends view the world. Except it turns out that conservative views were being censored on Facebook.

      They're not alone. Anyone who's seen how Twitter deals with its trends (which are also conceptually algorithmic but in reality are clearly curated as they'll block certain things from trending) and the new Twitter Moments feature will notice a distinct liberal bias there, as well.

      If Facebook were like Slashdot where the entire point was people were explicitly picking certain stories, no one would care. But Facebook pretended that the "trending" feature was showing what people were actually talking about on Facebook, and that turned out to be false. It was instead a curated news feed with a liberal bias.

    2. Re: Why is it important? by Bartles · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Imagine if you had paid Facebook a lot of money to place ads in these popular trending stories, only to find out they aren't actually popular and trending, but selected for placement by Facebook employees.

    3. Re:Why is it important? by physicsphairy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Microsoft bundling IE in its capacity as the by far dominant provider of desktop operating systems was considered an anti-trust violation.

      Now what about the by far most dominant social network bundling a particular political platform for its users? Is there no ethical problem with that?

      I agree that FB's actions are legal and even constitutionally protected. But if you find it unnerving when companies hire lobbyists to write laws in their favor, you should probably find it even more unnerving that FB may be surreptitiously packaging the specific issues and views on which people vote.

      I wonder what the monetary value to Trump/Hillary would be to suppressing news helpful to their opponent, and what sort of favorable legislation that could buy FB in return.

    4. Re:Why is it important? by damn_registrars · · Score: 1

      Now what about the by far most dominant social network bundling a particular political platform for its users?

      I don't disagree with the assertion that they are the top "social networking" site on the web today. However as a news source I don't see them as being anywhere near dominant. I certainly haven't heard of Fox News, CNN, or any print newspapers declaring "we can't compete with facebook for news, so we're going to shut our operation down".

      But if you find it unnerving when companies hire lobbyists to write laws in their favor, you should probably find it even more unnerving that FB may be surreptitiously packaging the specific issues and views on which people vote.

      I don't dispute that corporate America is running Washington a little more with every passing day. IMHO the "Affordable Care Act" was the largest corporate handout from any government in the history of government. However if facebook is out to get some favorable legislation passed, why would they cater to the democrats - or even to just one side? The insurance industry showed so artfully that they can own both sides if they feel the need. Plenty of other industries have shown how easy it is to buy out the conservatives as well. Not that the democrats are beacons of morality or anything, but this seems like a rather high-risk/low-reward way to go about getting it done.

      The best argument I've seen so far for people getting upset with this matter is actually the "false advertising" claim. Apparently facebook was claiming that the "trending" stories bit was all automatic and algorithm-driven. If that was their claim but there was actually heavy human interference then it may warrant some further investigation.

      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    5. Re:Why is it important? by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      Would you feel the same if Google biased its results to make Trump look good?

      --
      -Styopa
    6. Re:Why is it important? by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      No, but that's different. That would require Google to make up stories because there aren't any stories that make Trump look good. Facebook isn't accused of making up stories, just possibly suppressing stories.

    7. Re:Why is it important? by BECoole · · Score: 1

      Simple. "Trending" is false advertising. It's fraud.

    8. Re:Why is it important? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Algorithms agnostic to text string meanings would not be biased. The only bias is determining what is popular, a numeric thing, which is the goal here, so does not count.

      Now if humans selected text strings to weight more highly, bias could creep in that way.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    9. Re:Why is it important? by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

      Return to the restroom and adjust your skirt, your bias is showing.

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
    10. Re: Why is it important? by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1

      It's called fraud.

      --
      5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
    11. Re:Why is it important? by nbauman · · Score: 1

      It matters because they claimed that "trending" was determined by computer algorithms that analyzed what people were actually talking about, but that turned out to be a lie: they were instead determined by people, who necessarily have a bias.

      It matters because it artificially shapes how people see the world. Facebook isn't just "a news site" it's also a site that - in theory - shows you how your friends view the world. Except it turns out that conservative views were being censored on Facebook.

      This was written by a right-wing wacko who didn't bother to read the Guidelines (which FB posted on the Internet), who doesn't understand how newspapers work, who thinks everybody is conspiring against him, and who libelously accuses people of telling a "lie" when they merely disagree with him, or because he doesn't understand the issues.

      Here's the guidelines. The relevant excerpts are:

      https://fbnewsroomus.files.wor...

      Trending Review Guidelines

      (They would override the algorithm if it is obviously a junk topic, like "Pizza rolls," which has no association to a real-world event.)

      P. 9

      National Story: You should mark a topic as a "National Story" importance if it is among the 1-3 top stories of the day. We measure this by checking if it is leading in at least 5 of the following 10 news websites: BBC News, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, NBC News, The New York Times, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BuzzFeed News.

      So that's when the human editors intervene -- when the algorithms deliver a high-ranking topic like "Pizza rolls", because it took over on Reddit, they need human editors who can understand it's not a real news story.

      A topic does become a national story if it's leading in Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and one other major news source. Fox News and the WSJ should be conservative enough for anybody.

      This story came about because, in an attempt to provide balance and objectivity, FB commendably hired a diversity of editors, including conservatives, to make these judgment calls.

      The conservative editors didn't like it, because FB's stories weren't conservative as they wanted. Duh. They're conservatives. The rest of the world isn't as conservative as they are. They'll never be satisfied unless it looks like Breitbart or Washington Times.

      It's hard to tell from the Gizmodo story exactly what FB stories were censored. http://gizmodo.com/former-face... But it's easy to look at the FB guidelines and see that there are good, reasonable journalistic reasons for selecting or not selecting them.

    12. Re: Why is it important? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      tbh I wouldn't care as long as it got me sales. But I can imagine someone out there might care.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    13. Re:Why is it important? by Lendrick · · Score: 1

      Because the fact that something is legal doesn't mean it's ethical.

      If someone says something and the only defense anyone can come up with is "it's free speech, they can say whatever they want", you can damn well bet that what they said was indefensible

  11. "Anything against our principles" by myowntrueself · · Score: 3, Funny

    The lying weasel actually came out and said it in plain words:

    If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it."

    Conservatism is against their principles and they are addressing it.

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    1. Re:"Anything against our principles" by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      So how about just getting a bunch of conservatists and building your own, pro-conservatist social media site instead of complaining that everybody involved with social media is not supporting your anti-social viewpoints.

      my own?

      I'm not a conservative. But I'd fight for the right of conservatives to get their views across.

      Clearly not everybody involved in social media agrees with The Lying Weasel because they are coming out and calling him out on it. But he wants to use his social media platform to promote his views and quash opposing views.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    2. Re:"Anything against our principles" by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      The great thing about freedom of speech is that conservatives are allowed to say things (mostly that I disagree with, but it's a free country). They're allowed to make their own social networking sites and news media and all that. They do have a venue, talk radio, in which they dominate. The leftist reaction has been to try to get leftist talk radio going, which is entirely as it should be. The fact that it has been largely unsuccessful doesn't mean that talk radio needs to change. Now, Facebook is favoring liberal causes, and conservatives whine that they should favor conservative causes rather than to set up their own site and try to compete.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    3. Re:"Anything against our principles" by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      The great thing about freedom of speech is that conservatives are allowed to say things (mostly that I disagree with, but it's a free country). They're allowed to make their own social networking sites and news media and all that. They do have a venue, talk radio, in which they dominate. The leftist reaction has been to try to get leftist talk radio going, which is entirely as it should be. The fact that it has been largely unsuccessful doesn't mean that talk radio needs to change. Now, Facebook is favoring liberal causes, and conservatives whine that they should favor conservative causes rather than to set up their own site and try to compete.

      So if a cellular network provider kept dropping calls between conservatives that'd be ok and an appropriate response would be "find a different provider"?

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    4. Re:"Anything against our principles" by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Are you familiar with the concept of "common carrier"? It applies pretty well to cell providers, and the conversation should have nothing to do with dropped service. Facebook isn't anything like a common carrier.

      Come back when you've learned a little more about how things work.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  12. Re:Of course it's true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Interesting. And which other underrepresented minorities or groups do you think that's true of? It's particularly weird when you consider that the more math used, the less leftist the college department tends to be. It isn't chemical engineers and physicists rioting on the campuses, it's mainly folks taking classes that end in -studies.

  13. Not that I care by JesseEnjaian · · Score: 1

    But maybe everyone that works there is politically "liberal?"

  14. Re:Of course it's true by Z80a · · Score: 4, Insightful

    With the wrong ideas on the right way you probably can make any group of people go stupid.
    You probably can make the Doberman Pinscher Club of Greater Milwaukee suddenly turn into a nazi party by just implanting enough wrong ideas the right way.

  15. Even if it's true... by Morpeth · · Score: 1

    ...so what. It's a social media website, and a private company -- that doesn't make any claims about being "Fair and Balanced". There's also a big difference between actively suppressing something and showing preference to something that might garner more clicks (and revenue).

    Most of my feeds are usually drivel anyway, 'pseudo celeb x does something silly/shocking/dumb'. There's also the old 'x' icon you can click to stop getting feeds on certain things.

    And anyway, if you're getting most of your news from Facebook, well... lol and /facepalm

    --

    'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
    1. Re:Even if it's true... by Jiro · · Score: 1

      If you show preference to something, that means you must reduce the prominence of something else in order to show preference to it.

  16. Fish don't know they're wet. by jcr · · Score: 1

    Zuckerberg might actually believe that load of hogwash.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  17. Not only in the US by klapek · · Score: 1

    Just a couple days ago a photo of anti-government protesters including one of their polish executives was taken down from a facebook page(zelaznalogika), the page also being blocked. In the meantime the photo may still be seen on newsweeks page.

  18. Re:Of course it's true by bigfinger76 · · Score: 2

    liberals tend to be concerned with facts and evidence

    Until they start talking about guns. Then it's out the window.

  19. BS 102 by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Zuck doesn't quite know how to bullshit properly.

    The BSC* answer is, "We found no specific evidence of politically-biased re-ranking of stories. However, we did discover that the ranking process was not carefully managed and monitored enough, and are now putting in place procedures and cross-checks to prevent any future bias".

    In short, it blames any problems later discovered on rogue underlings who were not watched well enough.

    I don't claim to be an intentional expert on bullshit, I just witnessed too much over the years in Dilbertville, often as the underling scapegoat.

    * Bullshit-Correct

    1. Re:BS 102 by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      It's best to imply you found something during your investigation. It gives the impression you've done something useful and did a real investigation.

    2. Re:BS 102 by jd.schmidt · · Score: 1

      I bow to your bureaucratic skills in awe.

  20. 3 Seconds of google to debunk this by Texmaize · · Score: 2

    If you Google Zuckerberg, liberal, you will find several articles evidencing that he is a liberal. Your conservative friends should give you crap for this...for years. Here is one:

    http://www.politico.com/story/...

    The sad thing is, this got modded up to a 3 in the first place.

    --
    "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
  21. Full investigation by aglider · · Score: 1

    That will result in only a few minor political edits over a million billion pieces of news that will be internally sanctioned. This is my USD 5.- bet. Anyone?

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
  22. Their content moderation/complaints... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...is completely biased.

    Think about it.

    They outsourced those functions to cheap shitholes like India and Indonesia to save money.

    So when one of those operators comes across a reported FB post insulting to the Lord Jesus Christ, and another one insulting to the moslem pedophile sex offender prophet, which one do you think gets deleted ?

    No brainer huh ?

    Capcha "bikinis" oh the irony.

  23. And in other news... by Texmaize · · Score: 1

    And in other news:
    Hillary says that she reviewed all her email and found no evidence that she sold and exposed state secrets.

    AND
    Trump says that reviewed his speeches and he found no evidence of anti-Latino Bias
    AND
    Various slashdot readers also reviewed their posts and found no evidence of knee-jerk political bias

    --
    "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
  24. Yellow Build App by ChadSmith4920 · · Score: 1

    The lastest internal FB Yellow Build App now includes LIKE LOVE HAHA WOW SUPPRESS REDACT IGNORE

  25. staff contractors by ccahua4 · · Score: 1

    Zucker is correct the contractors were not Facebook Staff. Sadly bias can go both ways.

  26. Isn't the internet non-conservative anyway? by ceview · · Score: 1

    The entire concept of the internet is biased anyway isn't it? It's about being mostly open and communicative surely? which is in stark contrast to restrictive conservative doctrines anyway. So if there are stories that are talking about how great a restrictive practice might be that would naturally be reduced in ranking in some way.

  27. Re:Of course it's true by epyT-R · · Score: 2

    Both sides trampled liberty to push their shit. Don't kid yourself.

  28. Re:I'd tend to agree with Zuck by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4
    You discriminate, all right. You just do it and then lie to yourselves about it. I usually describe this as: "Do as I say, not as I do." It invariably creates a blind spot for the "invisible" activity, but also undermines the ability of the mind to see the truth in general because the mind has become used to lying to itself so it won't see the things it is not supposed to see. Obviously, at this point, the mind itself cannot detect truth and falsity, because the mind would have to see itself lying. A problem with highly intelligent people like this, is that they assume that their opinions are facts.

    A lack of political diversity in psychology is said to lead to a number of pernicious outcomes, including biased research and active discrimination against conservatives. The authors of this study surveyed a large number (combined N = 800) of social and personality psychologists and discovered several interesting facts. First, although only 6% described themselves as conservative "overall," there was more diversity of political opinion on economic issues and foreign policy. Second, respondents significantly underestimated the proportion of conservatives among their colleagues. Third, conservatives fear negative consequences of revealing their political beliefs to their colleagues. Finally, they are right to do so: In decisions ranging from paper reviews to hiring, many social and personality psychologists said that they would discriminate against openly conservative colleagues. The more liberal respondents were, the more they said they would discriminate.

    Composite scores of perceived hostile climate for conservatives (! = .85) were significantly correlated with political orientation, r(263) = .28, p less than .0001: The more liberal respondents were, the less they believed that conservatives faced a hostile climate. This correlation was driven entirely by more conservative respondents' greater personal experience of a hostile climate: Controlling for personal experience, the relationship disappeared (r = â'.01), suggesting that the hostile climate reported by conservatives is invisible to those who do not experience it themselves.

    At the end of our surveys, we gave room for comments. Many respondents wrote that they could not believe that anyone in the field would ever deliberately discriminate against conservatives. Yet at the same time we found clear examples of discrimination. One participant described how a colleague was denied tenure because of his political beliefs. Another wrote that if the department "could figure out who was a conservative they would be sure not to hire them."

    -- Yoel Inbar and Joris Lammers, "Political Diversity in Social and Personality Psychology" http://yoelinbar.net/papers/po...

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  29. Re:I'd tend to agree with Zuck by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1

    Indeed. A few weeks back, when it came out that some Facebook employees were enquiring if and how Facebook should act to prevent Trump winning the presidency, Zuckerberg shot them down. Also, Facebook is a sponsor of the republican party and their national convention this year in Cleveland. Zuckerberg is an east-coast (Westchester county), prep-school, ivy-league, blue blood. And he's known to pal around with the likes of Chris Christie.

    Sure, a lot of liberal people work at Facebook. And maybe some of the left-leaning curators injected their own biases, consciously or not, into the feeds. But no way was it a result of a top-down policy.

    --
    Imagine all the people...
  30. Conflict of interest by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    He's openly lobbying for given political positions that conflict with other people that are saying he is suppressing them. His statement of evidence merely means "HE" has said there is no suppression. But if there is suppression he would have a strong interest to lie about it. And what is more, he also has a motive to do it in the first place.

    He saying at any given point... "oh I'm not doing it" doesn't really matter.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    1. Re:Conflict of interest by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      Really? And what have you been demonstrated as Anonymous Coward?

      Do you have any more fucking stupid ad hominems you want to attempt or do you want cut your losses here, twit?

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    2. Re:Conflict of interest by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      you're saying your citation as an entity with no record in this community is the same as having a record like me?

      Fail. Login to your real account and then we can ACTUALLY play the game of who's rep is better. Till then, enjoy this complimentary bucket of steamed sweaty dicks. Don't let them get cold. Their flavor is unlikely to improve.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    3. Re:Conflict of interest by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      You're attempting an ad hominem when you're immune from such by virtue of your anonymity.

      You speak of records when you've gone out of your way to have none. In this context, you're a hypocrite by default and that robs you of any intellectual integrity in this context.

      Next time you want to play the ad hominem game, login with an account with a record. If you don't... your ad hominem will backfire just like it did here, moron. ;)

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    4. Re:Conflict of interest by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      The ad hominem is coming from YOU in this thread and you are anonymous. So my point is sustained.

      Good day, sir.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  31. Re:I'd tend to agree with Zuck by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

    This stuck me as more of that manufactured rage that billionaire funded think tanks have on offer. The sad thing is I'm sure my right wing friends will be repeating it as fact for years to come...

    O.o
     
    Did you miss the part where more evidence has surfaced that deliberate manipulation took place? If your right wing friends are repeating this as factual, that's because it increasingly appears to be factual !

    Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick, I don't know who lives in a stronger Reality Distortion Field - the addlepated idiots on the Left, or the ignorant idiots on the Right.

  32. Re:I'd tend to agree with Zuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Liberal is being open to new ideas and broadening knowledge, versus a conservative which holds traditional views and is resistant to change. Liberalism as a political philosophy is based on liberty and equality, freedoms which all are entitled and limited by the rights of others. There are various philosophical differences, but I recommend reading the works of John Locke, who is regarded as the father of liberalism and formed the basis of what we know today.

  33. Oh boohoo by mvdwege · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For decades now the single largest block of media is controlled by a reactionary billionaire, and any attempt by non-reactionaries to point out that this may not be healthy for political discourse is shouted down or outright not reported on.

    But God forbid a market party tries to use its freedom to present the news and not be a flaming reactionary; it will be plastered all over the media as a scandal.

    Fuck you, you fucking reactionary shits. You made your bed of biased media, now lie in it and STFU.

    --
    "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
    1. Re:Oh boohoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Fox News.

  34. Re:Of course it's true by AK+Marc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeah, they mention that you are more likely to be killed with your own gun by a stranger than use it against a stranger in self defense, and all the conservatives lose their shit. You are more likely to accidentally shoot someone than shoot it at someone in self defense. Someone that wants to lengthen their life would be better served by staying away from guns, than believing in the illogical belief they are "safer" with a gun than without.

    The liberals are the logical ones around guns, and it's the conservatives who can't muster up logic.

  35. Misdirection leads to stupid conclusions by neurosine · · Score: 1

    I think that the analytics which decide these things are mislead into making misleading statement, not because they are faulty, but because most people try to avoid being perceived as dicks, in one form, or another.

  36. Re:Of course it's true by pipingguy · · Score: 1

    "Angry Studies"

  37. When you've lost the Guardian. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    . . . .which is no defender of the Right (as it prides itself as Progressive), the argument of objectivity and algorithms pretty much fails.

    To wit:

    https://www.theguardian.com/te...

  38. Trustworthy by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

    I believe him. I saw it in the Trending Topics box so it has to be true.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  39. Re:Of course it's true by Maritz · · Score: 1

    I would genuinely respect people more if they just owned up to fucking liking guns. I could understand that. But they never do. Always some bullshit 'self defence' fig leaf reason.

    --
    I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  40. Found nothing against FB principals by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it."

    So, it if wasn't against Zuckerman's principals, it wasn't wrong.

  41. There is plenty of neocon drivel on Facebook by kimvette · · Score: 1

    I see plenty of conspiracy theories, posts from Trump-supporting imbeciles, people praising for the GOP supporting "family values" (until the womb is breached at which point these same morons agree with the GOP in lock-step and say "f--- the poor"), uneducated nitwits who think socialism and soviet communism are the exact same thing (when in truth unregulated "free market" capitalism is more like soviet communism when you reach its end game), insane anti-vaxxing conspiracy theories, and other things that you would expect to come from someone in an insane asylum.

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  42. Gawker? by Not-a-Neg · · Score: 1

    Just sayin': trying to justify your claim by citing Gawker is like trying to validate the existence of Big Foot because you saw him on the cover of The Inquirer in a grocery store checkout line.

    --
    -==- Buy a Mac and leave me alone!
  43. Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by s.petry · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The argument for the 2nd amendment is not about self defense, but liberals tend to frame it that way. They could read history, you know, like the Federalist Papers, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution and frame the argument correctly. The people must be able to overthrow a tyrannical government, hence we must maintain the right to bear arms.

    Libertarians understand the historical logic for the second amendment and further understand risk and responsibility. Meanwhile the progressives feverishly attempt to convince everyone that the nanny state is the only way to save humanity and that humans are incapable of making decisions or understanding risk.

    Liberals are logical my ass, they like to play make believe. History repeatedly demonstrates that society is never fixed by massive governments. Never, ever, not one time has it happened.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  44. Re:Of course it's true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ugghh, conservatives lacking in logic. I hate it when they say that the fact that you don't have to fire a gun to use it in self-defense alters the statistics. Or when firearm safety has high conditional probability and raw statistics are unrepresentative given the poor gun safety measures in places with high gun violence. Or when they point out that using firearm homicide rates in the place of intentional homicide rates is skewed from the outset. Or when they point out a thing I only have for pleasure like a pool is far more dangerous to my children statistically than a firearm. Or when they say that mass shooting has multiple definitions that are chosen based on what is more relevant to the cause of gun control. Or when they point out that the mass shooting everyone is scared about is a small portion of the actual mass shootings in the US. Or when they point out that the original reason for gun control was racist and Democrats are still using it to feel safe from some non-white youth randomly targeting them for violence. Or when they bring up that the international gun control statistics R-square values means that the statistics can't be predictive. God, what uniformed idiots. I wish they would listen to logic.

  45. Words mean things Mark... by bobbied · · Score: 1

    There IS "Evidence" here Mark, now how much that evidence proves is the question being asked. So your statement is really a lie, or, to be charitable about this, just not true.

    What you should have said is there is "no proof" or even "no evidence that proves" but I guess because you are really involved in a PR conflict, you need to keep saying what your Public Relations folks are telling you to say. However, in this case, your PR folks need to mince your words a bit more carefully.

    Not that I care about the allegations anyway. Who really cares if Facebook manipulates the news I see or not? It's a free country and they are free to conduct their business as they see fit.

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  46. In other news: no classified emails found by DidgetMaster · · Score: 1

    Hillary Clinton did another self investigation of her private email server and found NO evidence of any classified documents (oops...I mean documents that were still clearly marked CLASSIFIED after her staff did some routine maintenance).

  47. Re:I'd tend to agree with Zuck by Khashishi · · Score: 1

    Of course people are openly hostile against conservatives. That's because conservatives want to bring us back a century or two.

  48. In their defence (possibly) by Rambo+Tribble · · Score: 1

    Any fact-based reporting is bound to conflict with ideology-based views, regardless of which of such views are involved. The ideologues will claim bias, as with global warming, and try to twist the facts around their agenda. Reality, however, often has other plans. This is not to say Facebook is innocent, but under the circumstances, they may deserve the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, FB has a history of acting badly to advance their own programs. .

  49. Re:GOP has too much hateful speech by internerdj · · Score: 1

    I don't really care what facebook does with its website, but it was kind of disturbing to see so many people say "Even if Facebook did this in the most malicious way, then they were right to do so, because everything a conservative could possibly say is hate speech and needs to be censored." Even presuming that the proposition that everything they say is hate speech is true, it is a terrible idea to suppress political speech rather than have things be discussed openly and let people openly see the reasoning behind the problems of the topic. Suppression of speech is the sign of a weak position not a position so strong it must be defended at all costs.

  50. Re:It's not a legal issue. You're misunderstanding by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

    It's not about legality. It's *newsworthy* because it's a radical shift from the perception of how FB operates. "Trending" doesn't mean "trending" at all. It means curated.

    I'm surprised anyone though otherwise. Can you believe the the news stories in the "News and buzz" section on CNN.com do not actually have any measurable 'buzz' about them?

    Can you believe that when a chain restaurant prints "CUSTOMER FAVORITE!" next to a random item on their menu, that it is not, in fact, the results of some rigorous study of their customer base, but instead what some marketing or executive type decided to print next to a more profitable menu item?

  51. Re:Of course it's true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Probably because it's not true that you're more likely to be killed with your own gun. The study that claimed that was seriously flawed, as in it didn't actually check that the gun you were killed with was your own. Plus there is a notorious under-reporting of the use of guns against a stranger in self-defense. I mean, it isn't a crime, so there often isn't a need to report it, especially if you don't actually have to shoot anyone. Often the mere existence of a gun and/or a warning shot can be sufficient, and the person defending himself is unlikely to report such an incident to the police.

  52. Re:Of course it's true by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

    Watching from a distance, it's the left that is averse to logic and reason. Read the wildly successful Assault Weapons Ban of '94 for a primer on just how 'logical' liberals are with regard to guns.
    Simply proclaiming that one's group has a monopoly on logic or reason doesn't magically make it so.

  53. Facts don't matter by orgelspieler · · Score: 1

    Facts will make no difference to anybody who viewed this as a problem in the first place. Once the right wing whackadoos think they are maligned, they will whine about it ad nauseum. FB could produce a mountain of evidence showing what exactly what stories were "trending" on FB vs how many posts were actually posted on those topics. The response would be "see! now they're covering it up." I think the real problem is that most right-wingers really believe that they're in the vast majority, despite just about every election ever proving that false. So they think anytime they don't see their specific opinion echoed in teh lamestream media that it's a personal attack against them.

    I have an employee who works for me who constantly complains about how hard it is being a white male, and how frequently he is mistreated because of it. When I ask him for a specific example, he pulls a Trump/Palin non-answer about how it's so obvious. As if the very fact that I'm asking for a smidge of evidence would somehow prove my prejudice against his ideas. When I list several studies that show blacks, females and latinos (why does FF want to auto-correct to "Latinos," but not "Blacks"?) consistently receive fewer interview calls, less pay, more police stops, etc., he says it's just the liberal elite academics who are trying to skew the facts. But the obvious truth is that any facts that don't align with his worldview are automatically discounted.

    Not all conservatives are this way, and a large number of liberals are. But the fact of the matter is that Fox News and the like consistently complain about the "victim culture" in America, while trumpeting such nonsense as the "War on Christmas." Do they not grok the irony?

  54. Nothing to see, move along! by mveloso · · Score: 1

    I asked my dog and he didn't say anything so we're good, right?

  55. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by david_thornley · · Score: 2

    I'd say that minorities are in a much better position today due to the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, to give one example of government intervention. The leftist governments of Western Europe do a much better job of providing equal opportunity, and have higher social mobility.

    It seems to really bother right-wingers when I point out that personal weapons wielded by people not trained in military action and not accustomed to their unit are going to do absolutely nothing to overthrow a government.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  56. Re:GOP has too much hateful speech by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    In the US, "hate speech" is not a legal concept. If I hear it, I may criticize it, which is my right. A "hate crime", in the US, is one of various possible aggravating conditions that can increase the sentence for an already defined crime.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  57. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by AK+Marc · · Score: 2

    The argument for the 2nd amendment is not about self defense, but liberals tend to frame it that way.

    I see the conservatives framing it that way. They want to avoid statements like "I distrust all people and need to be able to shoot them if I want." "The police don't help anyone, so I need to be able to defend myself when they aren't around." "I need a gun to take out the government if they overreach, just like the Forefathers said."

    History repeatedly demonstrates that society is never fixed by massive governments. Never, ever, not one time has it happened.

    And when has it been "fixed" by small government?

  58. Steps? by Agripa · · Score: 1

    You have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it.

    And there you are. Mark Zuckerberg personally took steps, well, a step, to address it by making this announcement. Mission accomplished.

  59. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by s.petry · · Score: 1

    The argument for the 2nd amendment is not about self defense, but liberals tend to frame it that way.

    I see the conservatives framing it that way. They want to avoid statements like "I distrust all people and need to be able to shoot them if I want." "The police don't help anyone, so I need to be able to defend myself when they aren't around." "I need a gun to take out the government if they overreach, just like the Forefathers said."

    No, you don't hear conservatives framing it that way. I hate to break it to you, but you are confusing people who call themselves conservatives to get votes (and the people pandering to them) with a real Conservative. Ron Paul is one of those people. Ron Paul was let in by accident, and that was "corrected" if you had not noticed. The current lot of "Conservatives" are all extremely liberal. From Christie to Trump they all want more Government and less freedom for the public. Every single candidate has used fear mongering rhetoric as part of their campaign. They have all said that the Feds should have open access to all your stuff anytime the Government wants, etc.. etc....

    What you hear is progressives framing the argument. No matter what the T-Shirt says, they do not behave as Conservatives.

    And when has it been "fixed" by small government?

    Every single a Republic that has been created starts small and works very well. Bloat and corruption occur, and there is a reset. Again, history is your friend here.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  60. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by s.petry · · Score: 1

    Perhaps you should consider the reason people being "bothered" is simply because your opinion has little basis in fact.

    Government did not save minorities or even help them. The Government you claim helped them created Jim Crow laws and legalized discrimination, after the People demanded that the Government remove laws allowing Slavery and counting certain persons as less than others. It took a whole lot of people in the streets protesting violently to change things. People forced laws to change, the "Government" did not do that on it's own. Police did not stop all of the riots, because the people had guns and could defend themselves if needed.

    You probably don't bother anyone. You repeating propaganda which warps history to fit a progressive agenda may, but it has nothing to do with you and an unqualified opinion.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  61. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

    . I hate to break it to you, but you are confusing people who call themselves conservatives to get votes (and the people pandering to them) with a real Conservative.

    No true conservative. What do the true conservative say the reason for the 2nd Amendment is, and how that's relevant in today's society?

    Every single a Republic that has been created starts small and works very well. Bloat and corruption occur, and there is a reset. Again, history is your friend here.

    So armed revolution is the only means to create an efficient government? Then Somalia should have the most efficient government, with armed revolts daily. You are also saying that a small government is inherently unstable and collapses eventually. So why shouldn't we try something different? Can you even define "republic"?

  62. Re:Of course it's true by Agripa · · Score: 1

    Plus there is a notorious under-reporting of the use of guns against a stranger in self-defense. I mean, it isn't a crime, so there often isn't a need to report it, especially if you don't actually have to shoot anyone.

    It is not a crime depending on local laws but reporting it carries the risk of being persecuted or prosecuted anyway with no upside; what you say and report can and will be used against you in a court of law. Overzealous local law enforcement and prosecutors were a major reason for the push for castle doctrine and stand your ground laws.

  63. Re:Of course it's true by Agripa · · Score: 1

    Not sure if serious.

  64. Re:Supression no. Displacement, maybe? by Agripa · · Score: 1

    Sure, just like zero rating selected internet traffic instead of rate limiting other internet traffic to produce the same result is network neutral. And taxing everybody and then returning the tax selected individuals who did not sin accomplishes the same thing as a fine but is not a fine.

  65. Rumsfeld redux by IHTFISP · · Score: 1

    Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It just means he was relatively effective at covering it up... so far.

    --
    Error: NSE - No Signature Error
  66. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by s.petry · · Score: 1

    I previously answered the first question, and you claimed "nuh uh" once. No do-overs.

    The second question part 1. No, I never said armed revolution was necessary. Historically it's been the only way to insight change and remove entrenched power, but in theory a working Republic provides the means for a soft revolution. Part 2. No, you are omitting a particular form of Government called a Republic. A series of dictators killing each other is not efficient, nor is it a Republic. I suggest you read the book of the same name, and recommend the "Cambridge Text" version since it's a historical linguistic translation.

    The second question, part 3+. When humans are no longer humans we may be able to expect a perfect government which always remains perfect. Until such time as we are not humans, we have to deal with people who can be anything between greedy and psychopathic, to completely evil. Many people are not even born with a specific immoral trait, but due to life end up deficient.

    I never said a small government was unstable, you made that up. I said that governments all succumb to corruption. That is not because Government is small, it's because human nature. The larger "Government" is the more corrupt it is. Have doubts, look at the US, Russia, China, anywhere in Europe, etc... Germany is an example of Government growing massively and behaving at least as poorly to its citizens as the US has. Progressives try to point there claiming it's a paradise, which it surely isn't.

    Liberal Progressives in the US live in a fantasy land that pretends that at least some people are perfect and infallible. Namely themselves, and of course they will happily take your money to solve all of your problems. As long as you do what they say of course.

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    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  67. LOL I wish they did. by Audguy · · Score: 1

    If you have seen my news-feed from some of my wacko Republican and "libertarian" friends, you would know this is bull shit!

  68. Re:Supression no. Displacement, maybe? by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

    Or like affirmative action hires don't discriminate against applicants that are better qualified...

    --
    When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  69. as conservatives by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    we demand that the government intervene to require companies to devote equal time and effort to publicizing the conservative point of view that the government has no right to intervene to require companies to do things they don't want to do.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  70. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    The argument for the 2nd amendment is not about self defense, but liberals tend to frame it that way. They could read history, you know, like the Federalist Papers, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution and frame the argument correctly. The people must be able to overthrow a tyrannical government, hence we must maintain the right to bear arms.

    Libertarians understand the historical logic for the second amendment and further understand risk and responsibility. Meanwhile the progressives feverishly attempt to convince everyone that the nanny state is the only way to save humanity and that humans are incapable of making decisions or understanding risk.

    Liberals are logical my ass, they like to play make believe. History repeatedly demonstrates that society is never fixed by massive governments. Never, ever, not one time has it happened.

    and yet, second amendmenters do nothing except rant continuously about how our government has become a tyranny. i venture to say if "the people" didn't use the right to bear arms to oppose internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry, let alone states defying federal orders to allow black kids to attend schools, the government allowing Pinkertons to massacre the unarmed families of striking miners, the National Guard shooting college kids who were not threatening them, local government's tacit approval of lynching of blacks and civil rights workers, the Trail of Tears, etc etc etc, there's pretty much nothing that they will rise up to oppose, with the possible exception of having to register as firearm owners.
    But, as you demonstrate, the Walter Mittys among them can't help but "play make believe" that they are all that stands between us and Obama's savage Negro army implementing sharia; plus, as a bonus, they keep criminals at bay.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  71. Failbook surpresses Consevatives? by DiEx-15 · · Score: 1

    Huh? Failbook censors Conservative bullshit?

    WHERE?

    Last time I checked (this morning), Kevin Sorbo, FUX News, Ass Talk Radio ass clowns, my GF and her folks could post just fine. She and my future in laws are SOOO conservative, they are one death camp away from being Nazis!

  72. Okay, I was too simple... by jopsen · · Score: 1

    1) We're not talking censorship here, we're talking stories that facebook actively promotes as "suggestions" to people.
    2) I never said all right wing political statements (there is many valid position I don't agree with, that's fine)
    3) Example: "Families of terror suspects must be tortured", is that a valid political position?
    For a private company to choose not to actively promote such statement seems within their discretion.

    Note: we're not talking free speech, merely "active promotion", you don't have any right to have your speech promoted equally..

    1. Re:Okay, I was too simple... by internerdj · · Score: 1

      I do understand what is actually going on with the suggestions section. Also, I wasn't directing my comment at anything you may have said. What I was saying is there is a disturbing number of people who are saying all right wing political statements. Sorry for any confusion.

  73. Wrong [Re:Zuckerman suppresses evidence? ] by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    about how her mother will finally outlaw guns

    Bzzzzt, she does not say that. Gun control is not outright outlawing all guns, but rather banning assault weapons and better background checks.

  74. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    You don't know much about the 1960s, do you?

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  75. Re:Logical Liberal about Guns? haha by s.petry · · Score: 1

    I actually do, but you seem to lack knowledge in every conceivable area. Including the 60s by the way.

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    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.