With only 20 days left until the 2022 midterm elections, the top five news stories that Facebook is pushing to its users include Wawa launching a new hoagie and Tom Brady comparing the labor of NFL season to military deployment. Meanwhile, the issues that matter to voters are not chosen by Mark Zuckerberg’s algorithm to trend on the platform.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is allowing trivial news stories to trend as “top” stories while the United States is plagued with inflation, an illegal migration crisis, crime waves, and the deadly fentanyl drug making its way across the country’s southern border.
According to analytics firm NewsWhip, the top five trending news stories for a 12-hour window on Wednesday morning include the following headlines:
1) Groundbreaking movie star Anna May Wong to be first Asian American featured on US currency
CNN reports in the top trending story in America:
Early movie star Anna May Wong, who broke into Hollywood during the silent film era, will become the first Asian American to appear on US currency, a century after she landed her first leading role.
Wong’s image, with her trademark blunt bangs and pencil-thin eyebrows, will feature on the back of new quarters from Monday.
2) Tom Brady compares slog of NFL season to military deployment
CNN reports in Facebook’s second trending story:
When discussing the balance between his job and his life, Brady said: “I almost look at a football season like I’m going away on deployment for the military. And it’s like: ‘Man, here I go again.’
“And, there’s only one way to do it, and Jim, we’ve talked from time to time just about, how do you enjoy certain moments of it?” said the seven-time Super Bowl winner.
3) Russian President Putin announces martial law in four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed
CNN reports in Facebook’s third trending story:
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Wednesday introducing martial law in four Ukrainian regions the Kremlin claims to have annexed, in violation of international law, along with a separate order imposing restrictions on movement in and out of eight Russian regions adjoining Ukraine.
4) Teen, 17, unexpectedly dies after collapsing during Illinois choir event
Today reports in Facebook’s fourth trending story:
A 17-year-old teen unexpectedly died after he collapsed during his choir event in Naperville, Illinois, on Oct. 14.
Daniel Moshi, a senior at Leyden High School in District 212, was performing at the All State Honors Show Choir for the Illinois American Choral Directors Association at Naperville North High School when he became unconscious, NBC Chicago reports.
5) Wawa launches ‘SchwarberFest’ hoagie promotion as Schwarber launches historic home run
6ABC reports in Facebook’s fifth trending story:
When the Phillies made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, Wawa customers asked for a special return of the ‘HoagieFest’ to mark the occasion.
Before Game 1 in San Diego, Wawa announced ‘Schwarberfest’, and the Phillies slugger seemed to take the honor to heart.
Facebook’s algorithm is allowing these headlines to trend as the top five stories, just 20 days ahead of the midterm elections, revealing the company’s intention to keep the issues that really matter out of the social media feeds of American voters.
Polls suggest that Americans are concerned with other topics, as a Politico/Morning Consult poll published this week found that 93 percent of registered voters are worried about soaring inflation and the poor economy.
Here are five Breitbart headlines that could be trending on Facebook, if the company’s algorithms didn’t actively suppress the news impacting our nation.
1) Exclusive – David Bahnsen: Democrat Spending and Shutdowns Led to Record-High Inflation
Breitbart News’ Jordan Dixon-Hamilton reports:
David Bahnsen, chief investment officer at the Bahnsen Group, spoke with Breitbart News about how the combination of Democrats’ massive spending and shutdowns contributed to the record-high inflation Americans are dealing with today.
Bahnsen spoke with Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle, who noted the most recent inflation report shows that prices rose 8.2 percent compared to last year, despite the Democrat’s Inflation Reduction Act that purportedly solved the inflation crisis.
2) Nolte: Biden’s Baby Formula Crisis Still a Crisis — ‘Easier to Get Fentanyl’
Breitbart News’ John Nolte reports:
“It’s easier to get fentanyl than it is to get baby formula in Philadelphia,” a voter told surging U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Oz this week.
Welcome to Joe Biden’s America, where His Fraudulency opens the southern border to anyone who wants to poison our country with fentanyl, a country where citizens and legal immigrants still — still! — can’t get baby formula.
3) Report: Joe Biden to Announce Release of 10-15 Million More Barrels from Emergency Oil Reserves Before Midterm Elections
Breitbart News’ Charlie Spiering reports:
Bloomberg News reports that the Biden administration plans to release another ten million to 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Biden’s latest decision marks more than 200 million barrels set for release in less than two years as president, more than all previous presidents combined according to the Wall Street Journal.
4) AZ Governor Mulls Response to Biden Admin’s Order to Remove Border Barriers
Breitbart News’ Bob Price reports:
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) is weighing options before responding to an order from the Biden Administration to remove shipping containers from the Mexican border. The governor ordered the barriers along gaps in existing border walls earlier this year.
The U.S. Department of the Interior wrote a letter to Governor Ducey, demanding the removal of double-stacked shipping containers placed on federal land near Yuma. The letter also demanded no new containers be placed, the Associate Press reported.
5) Record Fentanyl Seizure Found at Texas Port of Entry
Breitbart News’ Bob Price reports:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Pharr International Bridge Cargo Facility set a record for their port of entry with the seizure of more than $1 million in fentanyl. The officers found the deadly drug in powder form following an alert from a CBP K-9.
Officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge on October 13 observed a commercial tractor-trailer approaching for inspection to enter the United States through the cargo facility. An officer referred the driver to the secondary inspection area after the truck arrived from Mexico.
Breitbart News will continue to report on Facebook’s algorithm in the lead up to the 2022 Midterm elections.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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