A report released last week claimed that Facebook practiced political bias in preventing conservative topics from appearing on its influential Trending Topics section.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to the controversy by stating that there is no evidence to prove the truth of such claims.
Zuckerberg also said that he would be engaging representatives from different political ideologies in discussions regarding the issue to assure them that Facebook will remain neutral and open in political issues.
The beginning of such efforts is reportedly happening on May 18, as Zuckerberg is set to meet with prominent conservatives in the media, according to a spokesman for Facebook. Among those that have been invited to join the conference are former Fox News conservative commentator Glenn Beck, The Five co-host Dana Perino, CNN conservative commentator SE Cupp and Mitt Romney's former Digital Director, Zac Moffatt.
"I'm going in with an open mind and an eagerness to learn more," said Cupp, who is looking forward to the many things that Facebook and the conservative representatives will talk about.
The meeting was confirmed by Beck through a post on his Facebook account, stating that it will be interesting to look Zuckerberg in the eye as the Facebook CEO explains the issue and the company's plans moving forward.
"The question that needs to be answered Wednesday is: Will Mark see this as an opportunity to free all points of view but at the same time unify America and the world," Beck wrote.
The controversy sparked when several former Facebook employees, internally known as news curators, said that they were instructed to artificially insert certain topics into Trending Topics, with some of the employees even suppressing certain stories that did not conform to their personal beliefs. The social network has launched an investigation into the matter, and Zuckerberg promised to address any issues that will be discovered.
