What Is Going On With Facebook Censorship? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

What Is Going On With Facebook Censorship?

The latest in Facebook's controversial slant on news and politics.

15
What Is Going On With Facebook Censorship?

When will social media websites learn? Earlier this year, I wrote an article about Twitter’s new algorithm for finding content. It was a vastly unpopular idea, but the latest Facebook censorship controversy makes it looks good.

Censorship on Facebook is nothing new. Breitbart reported earlier this year about how Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is one of many social media giants working with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in order to fight anti-refugee sentiment. This includes removing anti-refugee and anti-immigrant posts. Whether or not you agree with the sentiment of these posts, it is still censorship. Facebook is allowed to do as it pleases, but it is censorship.

Now, we see that there is a new censorship. Facebook is working to hide the works of a new evil: right wing news pundits.

How does this work? It’s very similar to the Twitter algorithm. The algorithm analyzes what news is receiving the most likes, views, and shares. Based on this, it sets up a “trending” list. The problem is that the people who run the algorithm are not robots. They are humans, which means that they have biases and prejudices.

Some of these human “curators” do not like the right wing. Some of them, like Facebook executive Tom Stocky, are big Hillary Clinton donors. So, what do they do? Well, according to a former Facebook curator, topics and personalities would be elevated or blacklisted based on whether they favored the left or the right. In an interview with Gizmodo, the former employee gave examples of topics and people who were downplayed: “former IRS official Lois Lerner, who was accused by Republicans of inappropriately scrutinizing conservative groups; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; popular conservative news aggregator the Drudge Report; Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL who was murdered in 2013; and former Fox News contributor Steven Crowder.” The report also talks about how they would handle news from conservative sites. “Every once in a while a Red State or conservative news source would have a story, but we would have to go and find the same story from a more neutral outlet that wasn’t as biased.”

There has been a large outcry. Everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Mr. Crowder has responded to the controversy. As of today, Facebook has reached out to top conservatives to meet and talk this out. This is clearly blowing up.

Again, Facebook can do as they please. It is their website, so they can set up what’s trending. That being said, there are two big problems. First, 63 percent of all Facebook and Twitter users say that they get their news from social media, according to a poll. This is bad because if people are getting filtered news, they may not be getting the truth. Secondly, people get paid based off of views from Facebook. If Facebook censors certain people, they are damaging these people financially. What will Facebook do to fight back and deal with this crisis? We will see.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

10 Things To Know About The First Semester Of College

10 things that most incoming college freshmen have no idea about.

130
campus
Pexels

Starting college is pretty scary and fun at the same time. You are free of your parents(in most cases) but this is the first time you have no idea what the heck is going on. Here are 10 things you may want to know going into your first semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter

It's not all morning coffees and singing along to the radio.

888
The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter
morethanwheels

I've been in college for four years now. I spent half my time as a commuter and half as a resident so I've experienced both sides of the housing spectrum. One thing I've learned comparing the two is that my struggles as a commuter far outweigh anything I went through while living on campus. Commuters have to deal with the problems school brings along with a slew of other issues; I've filled up my gas tank in the worst kind of weather conditions and napped in random places in public more times than I'm proud to say of. This is a list of some of the most challenging aspects of being a commuter.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

15 Times Michael Scott's Life Was Worse Than Your Life

Because have you ever had to endure grilling your foot on a George Foreman?

3637
Michael Scott
NBC

Most of the time, the world's (self-proclaimed) greatest boss is just that, the greatest. I mean, come on, he's Michael Freakin' Scott after all! But every once in a while, his life hits a bit of a speed bump. (or he actually hits Meredith...) So if you personally are struggling through a hard time, you know what they say: misery loves company! Here are 15 times Michael Scott's life was worse than your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

17799
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments