After a firestorm of outrage over liberal bias, Facebook announced on Tuesday that it would change how trending news topics appeared on its social media site. According to Bloomberg, “The company said it will no longer require stories to appear on sites considered news leaders, including the New York Times and Buzzfeed, as that requirement could lead to bias.”
Time.com quoted Facebook’s general counsel who said the company would be making changes “to minimize risks where human judgment is involved.” In a statement to Bloomberg, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell concluded, “Facebook was relying on a preponderance of liberal and leftist ‘news’ organizations. By not relying on any specific news outlets, Facebook returns to its neutral roots. This is good for everyone on that platform.”
The Bloomberg story, written by Sarah Frier explained how Facebook attempted to couch the changes in terms of not admitting to “systemic bias.”
Facebook found no evidence of systemic bias in its investigation, but said it couldn’t “fully exclude the possibility that, over the years of the feature’s existence, a specific reviewer took isolated actions with an improper motive,” according to General Counsel Colin Stretch.
At the time of the uproar, old media reacted protectively towards Facebook. CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King said of a meeting between conservatives and representatives of the company: “They didn't have to meet at all. So, call it PR or not, it's still interesting they're saying, ‘Come on, we want to hear what you have to say.”
At first, all three networks avoided the controversy.
Last week, after meeting with Facebook representatives, the MRC’s Bozell announced, “There has been a serious issue of trust within the conservative movement about this issue, but everyone in that room, on both sides, wants to see it restored.”
