Mark Zuckerberg denies Facebook news bias as he invites leading conservatives to discuss allegations
Mark Zuckerberg has spoken out against allegations that Facebook suppressed right-wing news stories from its Trending Topics section, and has invited leading conservatives to discuss the matter in the near future.
The Facebook chief took to the platform on Thursday evening (12 May) to say his company had found "no evidence" that claims made by former employees to Gizmodo around the social network's censorship policies were true.
"We have found no evidence that this report is true. If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it," Zuckerberg wrote.
"In the coming weeks, I'll also be inviting leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum to talk with me about this and share their points of view," he added.
The move to address the issue follows on from a letter sent to Facebook by senior senate republican John Thume, requesting Zuckerberg reveal the processes by which Facebook selects content for its Trending news bar by the end of this month.
Whistleblowers alleged earlier this week that Facebook's team of news curators routinely fiddled with Trending topics to demote conservative news, and that the practice was having a "chilling effect" on the platform.