Attacks on the Media Reaching Dangerous New Levels

[struggle4progress]

4. 'Fake social,' 'fake search' are the new 'fake news'

Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY
Published 3:44 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2018 | Updated 6:03 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO — Top Silicon Valley executives will get grilled on Capitol Hill next week on how their companies police Russian interference in U.S. elections. Expect some pointed questions on how these companies police political speech, too.

Growing allegations that Facebook, Google and Twitter limit the reach of conservative voices and viewpoints on their platforms is the latest political crisis to engulf the technology industry.

Over the past year, censorship charges have become a conservative rallying cry, raised in multiple hearings on Capitol Hill. Now the attacks are ratcheting up, with some GOP leaders and now President Trump using the hashtag #stopthebias to target left-leaning Silicon Valley ahead of the November midterm elections.

Why? It hits a bull's eye with supporters whose opinion of social media has sunk to the level of mainstream media. A new poll from the Media Research Center conducted by McLaughlin & Associates found that 65% of self-described conservatives believe that social media companies intentionally censor the political right. Some Republicans have started using bias claims in fundraising pitches ...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/08/30/trump-attacks-facebook-google-and-twitter-midterms/1144471002/