Coming on the heels of a meeting of leading conservatives and Facebook executive Mark Zuckerberg regarding concerns over political bias at the social media site, the conservative blog Hot Air alerted readers Thursday to a fresh incident it said illustrates that the problem is deeper-seated than anyone at the San Francisco-based company admits.
“OK, Mr. Zuckerberg, this is exactly the kind of thing we’re talking about,” Hot Air complained, going on to describe how Facebook curators described a viral social-media post by actress Patricia Heaton as “anti-abortion.”
Ms. Heaton, who stars in ABC’s “The Middle” and is perhaps best known for her role in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” tweeted on May 12 her appreciation of a crisis-pregnancy center: “Choose, celebrate, support Life! Thanks Northwest Center!”
Ms. Heaton’s tweet linked to a tweet by Catholic radio host Gloria Purvis that reads, “A Pregnancy Center & Maternity Home that cares for the mother father & child b4 and after birth” and includes a testimonial video about the Northwest Center’s work.
When Ms. Heaton’s tweet caught fire online, Facebook “Trending”-news curators headlined the item, “Patricia Heaton: Actress Shares ANTI-ABORTION Message, Says ’Support Life’ “
“Is there anything in that message that is ’anti-abortion’? Absolutely not. She is celebrating and honoring an organization, the Northwest Center, which cares for pregnant women and their children after they are born,” Hot Air argued.
“This is a larger, cultural problem,” at Facebook, Hot Air insisted. “And if [Mr. Zuckerberg] truly want[s] to fix things, I suggest a one-off meeting with high-profile commentators pundits [sic] won’t do the trick.”
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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