Perspectives: Facebook Board Upholds Trump Ban

Former President Donald Trump's ban from Facebook has sparked debates about free speech, speech that encourages violence, and online censorship. It's also elicited vastly different reactions from media voices and pundits across the spectrum. Facebook's Oversight Board announced Wednesday it supported upholding the company's ban of Trump, but criticized the company for apparently breaking its own rules by "imposing a suspension that was indefinite." The board ordered Facebook to review the ban within the next six months. Many voices published in prominent left-rated media outlets called for the ban to be permanent, with one columnist saying Trump is "unhinged and manipulative enough to use platforms such as Facebook to do serious harm." Many voices from right-rated outlets were critical of Facebook and the ban, framing it as politically-motivated censorship; one warned that "if Big Tech continues to feel emboldened to silence a sitting president, they can and will silence the rest of us." Some on the right also praised the board for questioning the ban's permanence. Others focused on public opinion around the ban; data from Pew Research Center says 50% of Americans oppose a permanent social media ban on Trump, and 49% support it.