Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Facebook Reportedly Suppressed These Kinds of Stories The claim comes from a journalist who worked on the platform's 'trending' sidebar, which shows popular articles and topics on a certain day.

By Josh Weiss

This story originally appeared on CNBC

endermasali | Shutterstock.com

Popular social media platform Facebook apparently quelled stories popular to the conservative demographic, reported Gizmodo on Monday. The claim comes from a journalist who worked on the platform's "trending" sidebar, which shows popular articles and topics on a certain day.

"Depending on who was on shift, things would be blacklisted or trending," the former Facebook news curator told Gizmodo.

"I'd come on shift and I'd discover that CPAC or Mitt Romney or Glenn Beck or popular conservative topics wouldn't be trending because either the curator didn't recognize the news topic or it was like they had a bias against Ted Cruz."

Even stories popular enough to be picked up by the platform's algorithm were ignored if they came from a conservative news source, he said.

Moreover, Facebook news gatherers were told to place non-trending stories into the trending sidebar using an artificial "injection tool." These include stories and topics like like the missing Malaysian airlines flight, the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris and Black Lives Matter.

Facebook did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Get the full story from Gizmodo here.

Josh Weiss

Writer

Josh Weiss writes for CNBC.com

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

At 16, She Started a Side Hustle While 'Stuck at Home.' Now It's on Track to Earn Over $3.1 Million This Year.

Evangelina Petrakis, 21, was in high school when she posted on social media for fun — then realized a business opportunity.

Health & Wellness

I'm a CEO, Founder and Father of 2 — Here Are 3 Practices That Help Me Maintain My Sanity.

This is a combination of active practices that I've put together over a decade of my intense entrepreneurial journey.

Business News

Remote Work Enthusiast Kevin O'Leary Does TV Appearance Wearing Suit Jacket, Tie and Pajama Bottoms

"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary looks all business—until you see the wide view.

Business News

Are Apple Smart Glasses in the Works? Apple Is Eyeing Meta's Ran-Ban Success Story, According to a New Report.

Meta has sold more than 700,000 pairs of smart glasses, with demand even ahead of supply at one point.

Money & Finance

The 'Richest' U.S. City Probably Isn't Where You Think It Is

It's not located in New York or California.

Business News

Hybrid Workers Were Put to the Test Against Fully In-Office Employees — Here's Who Came Out On Top

Productivity barely changed whether employees were in the office or not. However, hybrid workers reported better job satisfaction than in-office workers.