Perspectives: Controversial NYU Study Says Social Media Companies Are Not Biased Against Conservatives

A New York University (NYU) report concluded that technology platforms are not biased against voices on the political right, despite repeated claims from conservatives, Republicans and former President Donald Trump. In the past few years, people have been raising concern over tech giants' censorship against certain views. A 2018 Pew Research poll found that 72% of Americans believe social media companies censor views they don’t like, and participants were four times more likely to believe that such institutions favor liberals over conservatives. An August Pew poll found 90% of Republicans believe it’s “likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints that they find objectionable.” NYU's analysis of existing studies, social media analytics and anecdotal examples of anti-conservative bias reportedly found those examples to "crumble under close examination”; researchers also said that claiming anti-conservative bias “is itself a form of disinformation.” Outlets on all sides covered the NYU story, and most tended to focus on the details of the report; some left-rated outlets used the quote "claiming anti-conservative bias is a form of disinformation" in the headlines. Voices from the right, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson and comedian Steven Crowder, criticized the study for purportedly lacking data to back up some of its claims, which the study says is because Twitter did not release data on banned individuals. Carlson also pointed out that the study was sponsored by a Big Tech billionaire who also sponsored Biden's presidential campaign. Crowder said last week he will sue Facebook for what he believes are unfair and secretive policies. Other voices from the left say the censorship argument is part of a larger campaign by Fox News and other right-wing outlets to convince people who are loyal to Trump that they are being silenced and excluded not just from social media, but from American discourse across the board.