Facebook cannot fix itself

IN A WEEK THAT SAW THE OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL FROM the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States surpass 100,000, when the number of applications for unemployment insurance exceeded 40 million and Americans were protesting in dozens of cities, President Trump launched an attack against social-media platforms, most notably Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. If it were to survive inevitable legal challenges, Trump’s Executive Order would enable government oversight of political speech on Internet platforms. An order that claims to promote freedom of speech would actually crush it. The Executive Order is a mistargeted approach to a serious and nuanced problem.

Trump has long argued—without evidence—that Internet platforms are biased against conservative voices. In reality, conservative voices have thrived on these platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube have consistently