Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says conservatives are an important
part of the social network after a meeting aimed at defusing concerns
it is politically biased.
"We've built Facebook to be a platform
for all ideas," Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page after a meeting at
the company's California headquarters to discuss allegations in a news
article that Facebook was suppressing conservative voices in its
"trending" news stories.
"Our community's success depends on
everyone feeling comfortable sharing anything they want. It doesn't make
sense for our mission or our business to suppress political content or
prevent anyone from seeing what matters most to them."
Zuckerberg
called the meeting after technology news outlet Gizmodo last week
reported allegations that Facebook was deliberately omitting articles
with conservative viewpoints from a sidebar that lists popular stories.
Facebook has denied the allegations, reportedly made by a former employee, while promising to investigate.
"The
reality is, conservatives and Republicans have always been an important
part of Facebook," Zuckerberg wrote after Wednesday's meeting.
"Donald
Trump has more fans on Facebook than any other presidential candidate.
And Fox News drives more interactions on its Facebook page than any
other news outlet in the world. It's not even close."
He added
that he recognizes that "many conservatives don't trust that our
platform surfaces content without a political bias" and noted that "I
wanted to hear their concerns personally and have an open conversation
about how we can build trust. I want to do everything I can to make sure
our teams uphold the integrity of our products."
The meeting was scheduled to include political commentator Glenn Beck and talk show host Dana Perino.
Others
invited included Zac Moffatt, a political consultant who worked for
former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney; Arthur Brooks,
president of the American Enterprise Institute; and Barry Bennett, an
advisor to presumptive Republican presidential candidate Trump.
CNN
conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, another attendee, tweeted after the
gathering, "Very productive meeting at @Facebook with Mark and team.
Strong commitments to address issues, as well as to work together on
common goals."
Zuckerberg's post elicited more than 17,000 "likes" shortly after the message appeared but some questioned the allegations.
"Frankly, I do not know where they got this perception" of bias, wrote Loni Reeder.
"I
have more Republican/Trump nauseating propaganda floating across my
page (unwanted propaganda, I might add!) than I do of nominees Clinton
and Sanders. It's MY perception that they simply wanted to find a way to
further inflate their pathetic agenda and to get some additional
undeserved press."