Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Ahead of 2020, FB Ensnared in Heated Political Climate
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 15, 2019

Share

Mark Zuckerberg defended meetings he’s reportedly had with conservative leaders after #DeleteFacebook began trending on social media.

“Meeting new people and hearing from a wide range of viewpoints is part of learning. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do!” — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Politico reported this week that the Facebook CEO held private meetings with, among others, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Conservatives have long accused Facebook of suppressing conservative political view and the company has tried to dispel that belief.
Zuckerberg says he meets with many people “across the spectrum on lots of different issues.”
“Meeting new people and hearing from a wide range of viewpoints is part of learning,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. “If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do!”
Facebook has fought allegations since the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election that it’s not doing enough to stop bogus accounts and political ads on its platform.

Facebook Faces the Risk of More Accusations of Political Bias

Those charges are surfacing again ahead of the 2020 election, with Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanding that Facebook remove Trump campaign ads that make false claims.
After Facebook refused to remove the ad saying that it’s not a political gatekeeper, Warren paid for a fake political ad that claimed Zuckerberg and Facebook have endorsed President Donald Trump.

The ad states in the next sentence that it’s not true.
Pressure on the social media platform is escalating as the 2020 general election approaches.
Biden said that he’d be open to breaking up Facebook. Sen. Kamala Harris of California has said she’s would consider new controls on the tech giant.
Facebook faces the risk of more accusations of political bias by blocking or suspending accounts, but also of creating a toxic online environment by doing nothing to remove bogus political ads and groups.
Research has revealed that millions of people get at least some political news on social platforms. A Pew Research Center survey found that a majority of American adults believe the news they see on such platforms are largely inaccurate.

DON'T MISS

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

DON'T MISS

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

DON'T MISS

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

DON'T MISS

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

DON'T MISS

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

DON'T MISS

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Vote for Special Interest Giveaway Over Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

UP NEXT

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

March Madness: It’s South Carolina vs. Texas and UCLA vs. UConn in Women’s Final Four

UP NEXT

What to Watch in Tuesday’s Big Elections in Wisconsin and Florida

UP NEXT

Major Layoffs Begin at Health Agencies That Track Disease and Regulate Food

UP NEXT

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Backtracks on a Legally Questionable Plan to Pay Voters

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

53 minutes ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

1 hour ago

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

3 hours ago

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

3 hours ago

State Center Trustees Vote for Special Interest Giveaway Over Students: Opinion

4 hours ago

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

4 hours ago

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

4 hours ago

Prosecutors Directed to Seek Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione

4 hours ago

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

4 hours ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

The auto industry witnessed a different kind of March madness last month as buyers flocked to dealerships to lock in deals before President ...

8 minutes ago

Vehicles are passed through final inspection at the end of the assembly line at the General Motors facility in Spring Hill, Tenn., Oct. 7, 2024. Sales of cars picked up recently partly as buyers rushed to lock in deals before President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on cars and auto parts go into effect. (Brett Carlsen/The New York Times)
8 minutes ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

15 minutes ago

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions on tariffs while meeting with reporters at a news conference, at the Capitol, in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
30 minutes ago

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
53 minutes ago

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

July 27, 2017, shows a Hooters sign at a restaurant in Hialeah, Fla. (AP File)
1 hour ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

1 hour ago

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

Destiny Christine Brown is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for April 1, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

Three Fresno teenagers reported missing on March 19, 2025, were found safe on Friday, March 28, 2025, after one called a parent to arrange their pickup. (Fresno PD)
3 hours ago

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend