President Trump ‘Looking Into’ Bias on Social Media Networks

Monica Sanchez | March 19, 2019
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President Trump announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he would be “looking into” bias on Facebook and other social media networks.

After hearing news that Facebook censored the account of his social media director Dan Scavino, Trump tweeted that he plans to look into the incident, adding the hashtag, “#StopBias.”

He wrote in an earlier tweet that “Facebook, Google and Twitter, not to mention the Corrupt Media, are sooo on the side of the Radical Left Democrats.”

“But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before! #MAGA” Trump added.

Scavino on Monday posted a screenshot of a notice from Facebook indicating that he was “temporarily blocked from making public comments” on the platform, writing in the caption, “Dear Facebook—AMAZING. WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME from replying to comments followers have left me - on my own Facebook Page!!?? People have the right to know. Why are you silencing me??? Please LMK! Thanks.”

Facebook claims that the decision to temporarily block Scavino was an “unintended consequence” of its policy on spam, Reuters reports.

Facebook says it has reached out to Scavino and apologized for the error.

During a joint press conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Tuesday afternoon, Trump accused tech giants in general of having a bias against conservatives.

"It seems to be if they're conservative, if they're Republicans, if they're in a certain group, there is discrimination and big discrimination," he said. "I see it absolutely on Twitter and Facebook."

Facebook, Twitter, and Google have denied allegations of political bias in the past.

Twitter on Tuesday responded to the President’s remarks, saying that the company "enforce[s] the Twitter rules impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation."

That’s hard to say, when, for example, Twitter waited hours after a mob of Antifa protesters descended onto Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s family home in Washington, D.C., in November – and posted the Carlsons’ address onto the platform – to finally suspend the agitators’ account.

Not delete – but suspend. 

Even now, Fox News has refused to use its main Twitter account as a boycott of the platform’s biased conduct.

(Cover Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr)
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