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In a comprehensive report, The Wall Street Journal notes how the president of Facebook’s political relations with Trump and the right have deepened and how changes have been made to algorithms to undermine progressive left-wing websites and initiatives.
247 – In a lengthy report published last Friday by journalists Deepa Seetharaman and Emily Glazer, The Wall Street Journal said that Mark Zuckerberg is increasingly directing his Facebook to favor conservative and right-wing trends and websites and harm progressives. and to the left. You can read the full story here.
According to the newspaper, Facebook has made changes to its newsfeed algorithm since 2017 to reduce the visibility of left-wing news sites like Mother Jones on its platform. Mark Zuckerberg personally approved the plans.
According to the report, Zuckerberg became “an active political operator.” He has dined with Trump, speaks regularly with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and has lobbied lawmakers and officials to attack rivals such as TikTok and Apple Inc., “people involved in the discussions said,” according to the report. . Still, according to the report, “Zuckerberg maintains an open line with Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The two sometimes discuss Facebook policies on WhatsApp. “
Zuckerberg even gave a talk to Facebook executives about the need for the company to understand that “its user base is more conservative and defended decisions not to remove Trump’s posts that some employees say violate Facebook rules.” . Journalists add: “Zuckerberg’s position has alienated prominent Democrats and civil rights activists and frustrated many within Facebook, including, at times, COO Sheryl Sandberg, say people familiar with the dynamics.”
There is a crisis in the relationship between the Democratic Party and Facebook due to the positions of its president: “Last month, Biden’s campaign manager sent a letter to the CEO, calling Facebook ‘the main propagator of disinformation in the country about voting process, ‘”WSJ journalists wrote.
Favor the right websites
The WSJ says: “Zuckerberg has also established ties with right-wing editors who drive engagement on the platform, including Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the Daily Wire and a Trump supporter, say people familiar with the matter. The conservative news site was repeatedly denounced by Facebook fact-checkers for sharing falsehoods and distortions. But it’s often one of the most popular on the platform based on user interactions, according to CrowdTangle, a Facebook property analytics tool.
Zuckerberg invited Shapiro to dinner at his home last year, people said. Although the two are not friends, they sometimes discuss broader political and philosophical issues, people added, many of whom disagree.
Algorithms against the left
“In late 2017, when Facebook adjusted its newsfeed algorithm to minimize the presence of political news, policy executives were concerned about the extraordinary impact of shifts on the right, including the Daily Wire, people familiar with it said. affair. . Engineers redesigned the planned changes so that left-wing sites like Mother Jones are affected more than previously planned, people said. Mr. Zuckerberg approved the plans.
(…) Some on the left believe that Zuckerberg has been less accommodating to news sites that promote a progressive agenda.
After the launch of the Courier Newsroom last year, a network of eight progressive local news sites that is partly owned by a left-wing nonprofit with close ties to Democratic donors, Zuckerberg argued that the Courier was not a media outlet. real communication. , given his political connections, according to people familiar with his views.
The discussion triggered a new policy on Facebook in August that limits the reach of sites supported by followers, blocks the inclusion of their pages on Facebook News, restricts their access to the Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp platforms and reduces their advertising.
The nonprofit behind the Courier Newsroom, called Acronym, criticized the policy, saying it favors conservative news sources.
Zuckerberg also began meeting with progressive groups, whose leaders argued that if he was developing personal relationships with conservatives like Shapiro, he should also listen to the other side. The conversations did not go well ”.
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