Before their meeting with Mark Zuckerberg this week, some conservatives had expressed skepticism that Facebook intended to do anything but pay lip service to their complaints about bias with the company’s news algorithm. One invitee declined Facebook’s invitation, calling the meeting “superficial;” another called the event a “textbook con job.”
But after the meeting, conservatives who attended were much more complimentary. Both sides described the confab—Zuckerberg and other Facebook bigwigs and top engineers met with representatives from conservative news sites and organizations—as productive, and as a jumping off point for outreach.
Checking out The Facebook Wall at @facebook HQ in California! pic.twitter.com/cGP7OggZDJ
— Jenny Beth Martin (@jennybethm) May 18, 2016
According to sources with knowledge of the off-the-record meeting—attendees were encouraged to talk generally about their interactions—Facebook was receptive to conservative questions, some of which, as invitee Glenn Beck noted Wednesday, centered around why Facebook had taken so long to invite conservatives to the table.
Before the meeting, some conservatives had expressed skepticism that Facebook intended to do anything but pay lip service to conservative complaints. One invitee declined, calling the meeting “superficial;” another called the event a “textbook con job.”
But “Trending Topics” is a relative new addition to the Facebook platform and Zuckerberg’s team was reportedly very enthusiastic to take criticism and suggestions on how to adapt the widget to best match what people who use the platform are interested in reading. Zuckerberg himself pointed out after the meeting that Donald Trump has the most fans of any presidential candidate and that Fox News produces the most interactions of any news organization on Facebook.
One attendee, S. E. Cupp, personally dismissed the notion that Facebook had come to the table just to placate social media complainers. Speaking to the Washington Post, she said, “I felt like this was not just a photo op. This was a group of people who are genuinely concerned—from a PR level, of course—but also from a practical level.”
Very productive meeting at @Facebook with Mark and team. Strong commitments to address issues, as well as to work together on common goals.
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) May 18, 2016
Her sentiments were echoed by other attendees, who told us that Facebook’s team recognized there was a problem and seemed to have an earnest desire to make things right—that Facebook believes the bias isn’t systemic, and that the situation can be made right, particularly as the “Trending Topics” node develops. Even Brent Bozell, who runs the Media Research Center, a watchdog dedicated to exposing the liberal bias in mainstream news, was impressed: “From the very top there is a genuine desire to resolve it,” he told reporters.
Most of the attendees agreed that Facebook and conservatives need to make Tuesday’s meeting the first of many. According to the Heritage Foundation, who had two representatives at the meeting, Facebook will struggle with a lingering distrust among conservatives, regardless of their outreach, and can alleviate much of that worry by maintaining an open dialogue with right-leaning news-makers. Heritage’s Vice President of Publishing, Rob Bluey, noted that “being more transparent about exactly how they determine what’s ‘trending’ and how they decide whether or not to block certain posts or even entire pages would also help ease suspicions that Facebook tilts left.”
