Social Media Summit Draws Wide Range of Coverage
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The 'Social Media Summit' hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday made headlines throughout the country, prompting a wide variation of coverage and reactions.
Most outlets covering the story acknowledged that Trump invited conservative website owners and pundits while excluding social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. Specific descriptions of the guests varied; some voices on the left labeled the group as "right-wing extremists" or "conservative activists", and some on the right called them "far-right firebrands" or "social media provocateurs." Some left-leaning outlets ran fact-checks on Trump's summit speeches, while others on the right focused coverage on some of the event's little-known guests.
Outlets with center ratings focused on Trump's specific criticisms of big social media companies and recent Senate hearings regarding anti-conservative bias online.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Trump hosts conservative firebrands for social media summit: 'We're not going to be silenced'President Trump on Thursday hosted several hundred conservative activists at the White House for a "social media summit" to discuss anti-conservative bias by big tech companies, telling attendees that "we’re not going to be silenced."
The meeting, which took place in the East Room of the White House, included discussion about accusations that companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter have treated conservatives unfairly. The president also complimented the conservatives in attendance for what they've post online, saying, "Some of you are extraordinary. The crap you think of is unbelievable."
The...
From the Left
Trump accuses social media companies of ‘terrible bias’ at White House summit decried by criticsPresident Trump assailed Facebook, Google and Twitter on Thursday — accusing them of exhibiting “terrible bias” and silencing his supporters — at a White House “Social Media Summit” that critics chastised for giving a prominent stage to some of the Internet’s most controversial, incendiary voices.
For Trump, the conference represented his highest-profile broadside against Silicon Valley after months of accusations that tech giants censor conservative users and websites. With it, the president also rallied his widely followed online allies — whom he described as “journalists and influencers” and who together...
From the Center
Trump’s ‘Social Media Summit’ Airs Grievances Against Big TechWASHINGTON—President Trump used a “Social Media Summit” at the White House Thursday to bond with some of his most provocative supporters over shared grievances against large technology companies whose representatives weren’t invited.
Mr. Trump attacked social-media companies he says are trying to silence individuals and groups with right-leaning views, without presenting specific evidence. He said he was directing his administration to “explore all legislative and regulatory solutions to protect free speech and the free speech of all Americans.”
“Big Tech must not censor the voices of the American people,” Mr....
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