Former Facebook employees describe tests of News Feed algorithm changes and their impact on left- and right-leaning news sites, with tweaks to favor the right
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter. Tweets: @adamserwer , @monikabauerlein , @dellcam , @katzish , @marwilliamson , @chuckgrassley , @suldrew , @oshadavidson , @justinjm1 , @pemalevy , @slpng_giants , and @jengolbeck See also Mediagazer Tweets: @adamserwer : Conservatives have been screaming for years about being shut down by facebook. In reality, Facebook was throttling traffic to liberal websites while Zuckerberg was consciously boosting his dinner buddy Ben Shapiro. https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein : .@ClaraJeffery and I dug into what exactly is behind reports that Facebook tweaked its algorithm to improve results for conservative publishers and make them worse for Mother Jones. And... wow. https://www.motherjones.com/ ... Dell Cameron / @dellcam : per Mother Jones, Facebook spox @andymstone refused to comment when asked about a power point presentation reportedly shown executives detailing programmatic changes that would disproportionately boost right-wing sites spreading political disinformation. https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Amanda Katz / @katzish : MoJo on how Facebook deliberately tweaked its algorithm toward “garbage” far-right/conspiracy sites over fact-based, more progressive news, to favor the political will of those running the country. More to come, clearly https://twitter.com/... Marianne Williamson / @marwilliamson : Facebook's monopolistic influence on the news is criminal even if it isn't illegal. And tech companies need to be regulated by a Fairness Doctrine applicable to the realities of the 21st-century. https://twitter.com/... @chuckgrassley : To all the journalists who worship freedom of the press (as I do) u should voice ur outrage about the selective censorship from Big Tech like Facebook & Twitter. it violates a constitutional right @suldrew : Block all media from your feed, it's the only way https://twitter.com/... Osha Davidson / @oshadavidson : I wasn't sure I still had the capacity for outrage. And then I read this. 🔥🔥🔥 https://twitter.com/... Justin Miller / @justinjm1 : Gateway Pundit got special treatment from Facebook https://www.motherjones.com/ ... Pema Levy / @pemalevy : In 2018, Facebook tweaked its code so that pro-Trump news filled users' newsfeeds while progressive news outlets, and @MotherJones in particular, were down-ranked. To appease conservatives, Zuckerberg decided to promote rightwing bs and minimize real news https://www.motherjones.com/ ... @slpng_giants : “we can't do a ranking change that would hurt Breitbart—even if that change would make the News Feed better.” This report is absolutely damning, with @facebook playing politics through the pushing of certain outlets over others to placate the party in power. https://twitter.com/... @jengolbeck : This is an incredible piece of journalism which suggests major legal trouble ahead for Facebook https://www.motherjones.com/ ... See also Mediagazer