Facebook’s Zuckerberg Denies Bias, Wants to Meet ‘Leading Conservatives’

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has denied that the social media giant censors news from conservative outlets — and says he wants to meet with “leading conservatives” to discuss the issue.

A report earlier this month by Gizmodo alleged that Facebook “routinely” suppressed conservative news in its “trending news” feature, even when stories from conservative sites were being circulated widely by Facebook users. The report also alleged that Facebook “injected” more acceptable stories, such as coverage of the left-wing Black Lives Matter movement. Facebook denied the allegations.

In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Zuckerberg reiterated that denial, and said he plans to reach out to conservatives:

This week, there was a report suggesting that Facebook contractors working on Trending Topics suppressed stories with conservative viewpoints. We take this report very seriously and are conducting a full investigation to ensure our teams upheld the integrity of this product.

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.

In the coming weeks, I’ll also be inviting leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum to talk with me about this and share their points of view. I want to have a direct conversation about what Facebook stands for and how we can be sure our platform stays as open as possible.

Zuckerberg has taken explicitly liberal stances on a number of issues, including gay marriage and immigration. Earlier this year, he criticized employees who had crossed out “Black Lives Matter” and written “All Lives Matter” on a wall devoted to free expression in the company’s Melo Park, California headquarters.

“There are specific issues affecting the black community in the United Sates, coming from a history of oppression and racism,” Zuckerberg wrote at the time, arguing why “All Lives Matter” was unacceptable.

On Friday, Breitbart News tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos challenged Zuckerberg to a live debate.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new e-book, Leadership Secrets of the Kings and Prophets: What the Bible’s Struggles Teach Us About Today, is on sale through Amazon Kindle Direct. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.