The Trump administration is providing the public a tool to report political bias in the social media. The tool is its response to bans of extreme voices on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Users are asked to post screenshots of political bias and to explain what happened to their social media account and if a particular post was singled out. An industry spokesperson said internet companies respect the political views of their viewers and have no intention of shutting down conservative voices. (ABC News, May 15, 2019, by Karma Allen)
Emily Stewart, Vox, May 17, 2019, takes a jaundiced view of President Donald Trump’s attempt to ferret out social media political bias. She claims it’s a blatant attempt to rile up the base and add to the White House e-mail list. The tool asked users for contact information, name, zip code, phone number and e-mail address, and invites participation in the White House e-mail list. Many see the tool as an unwanted government infringement on free speech since private companies by law decide what content is allowed on their platforms.