Facebook fires trending team, and algorithm without humans goes crazy

Module pushes out false story about Fox’s Megyn Kelly, offensive Ann Coulter headline and a story link about a man masturbating with a McDonald’s sandwich

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/29/facebook-fires-trending-topics-team-algorithm

Just months after the discovery that Facebook’s “trending” news module was curated and tweaked by human beings, the company has eliminated its editors and left the algorithm to do its job. The results, so far, are a disaster.

Facebook announced late Friday that it had eliminated jobs in its trending module, the part of its news division where staff curated popular news for Facebook users. Over the weekend, the fully automated Facebook trending module pushed out a false story about Fox News host Megyn Kelly, a controversial piece about a comedian’s four-letter word attack on rightwing pundit Ann Coulter, and links to an article about a video of a man masturbating with a McDonald’s chicken sandwich.

A source familiar with the matter told the Guardian that the trending team was fired without notice in a meeting with a security guard present. The ex-employees received four weeks’ severance.

The past weekend has been less than auspicious for Facebook’s new, inhuman workforce: on Saturday, the site pushed an article to some of its users entitled: “BREAKING: Fox News Exposes Traitor Megyn Kelly, Kicks Her Out For Backing Hillary.” Megyn Kelly is still employed by Fox News and has not endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

Chris Christie: Trump’s Waffling On His Signature Issue Shows He’s Presidential



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-waffling-on-his-signature-issue-shows-hes-presidential-chris-christie_us_57c2f8c3e4b04193420f9659?section=&

On Sunday, Martha Raddatz, co-host of ABC’s “This Week” asked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) if Trump still planned on deporting everyone or what. Christie, who was the first of Trump’s vanquished primary foes to back him, said Trump would get bad apples out of the country first and then “deal with people in a humane way.”

So, Raddatz asked, does that not mean getting all 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the country?

Christie responded that there are going to be “some decisions [Trump]’s going to have to make as president regarding those folks,” referencing Trump’s good apples. Christie did not directly acknowledge that Trump might be abandoning one of his core policy positions. But he basically said that, if Trump did so, it would show he’s thoughtful and presidential.

“Quite frankly, you know, I think this is the kind of thing people expect from a president of the United States,” Christie said. “That they all approach these things thoughtfully and smartly and I’m confident that that’s exactly what a President Trump will do.”

On Saturday, Trump exploited the death of Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four and the cousin of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade. Aldridge was shot and killed in crossfire on Friday as she pushed a baby in a stroller in Chicago.

In a boastful tweet, Trump claimed Aldridge’s death was an indication that African-Americans would vote for him:



”Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked Conway the only reasonable question to ask: “Do you think it’s right to have that kind of political response to a personal tragedy?”

Conway didn’t even try to back up her boss on that one. Her response: “I was pleased that his next tweet expressed his condolences to the Wade family about the death of his cousin.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-dwyane-wade-campaign-manager_us_57c2e8e9e4b04193420f89c5?section=

The former pharmaceutical executive known as “Pharma bro” insulted late night TV host Stephen Colbert — but ended up becoming the butt of the joke, again.

Colbert mocked Martin Shkreli on his show Friday night, saying he had “a severe allergy to douche.”

Shkreli responded with this:

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/pharma-bro-just-tried-to-mock-stephen-colbert-and-failed-spectacularly/

1.0 out of 5 stars Instant Karma!
ByGregory Milleron August 25, 2016
Format: Hardcover
"... there's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven. Except change his immigration policies." Nothing like getting dumped on the very day your book comes out, is there? Obviously, this bit of obsequious drivel didn't get published fast enough to make it into the lifeboats furiously rowing away from the sinking SS Trump. Now the author has to go out and tell that everything she wrote in the book is wrong. Couldn't happen to a nicer person!

1.0 out of 5 stars The LAST person Ann Coulter, or anyone, should 'trust' is a life long con-artist!
ByCarol Fisheron August 25, 2016
Format: Hardcover
What the heck were you ever thinking 'trusting' Donald Trump? Everything Ted Cruz said about Donald Trump was right. I'm surprised a smart person like you would ever trust an immoral con-artist like Trump. He has cheated his wives, his employees, his associates his entire life. It's not like you didn't have this information He won't show his taxes because there's obviously all sorts of bombshells he's hiding.

Come on, Ann! Denounce the buffoon. He's going to go right back to being 'very liberal' about everything. Your book has been out a day and it's already irrelevant. How embarrassing this must be for you. But you sealed your fate latching onto a con-artist like Trump.

1.0 out of 5 stars Yuge mistake
ByLambertuson August 25, 2016
Format: Hardcover
Irrelevant before release, now selling at a "Yuge" discount.
And can you really take a book seriously that mixes Latin and the word 'awesome', it doesn't even make any sense, she might as well say 'E Pluribus Orange'...

Life is what happens when an author is making other plans
ByMike VINE VOICE on August 27, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
At the time of this book's publication, Coulter faces a serious conundrum. Her books have always been divisive...that's how she created a following. But on the day of her book launch, a day which should have included her taking a victory lap for her newest release, Donald Trump threw out the idea that he might change his immigration policies if elected. To the far-right conservative base, immigration is right up there with the three Gs (God, Guns, Gays). Trump's campaign ascended largely on the promise of deportations and a wall that "Mexico will pay for." So, Coulter no longer finds Trump quite so "E Pluribus Awesome!," but what can she do about that? One option would be to denounce her own book, which is not going to happen. She has publicly expressed her anger and disappointment over Trump's "shift," but she would really like it if you bought a copy of her book. And why would you do that? A few reasons, probably. Coulter's fans have a loyalty that is similar to the loyalty seen in Trump's followers. And for people who actually believe what she writes, many of them are probably just as angry as Ann at The Donald. Trump's entire career...as seen through far left as well as far left goggles, and all points in between, can be found in a multitude of other sources, many of which come with much higher journalistic credentials than Ann will ever have. This is just one of those moments in which an author whose sole offering is outrage and opinion hit the wall, where she placed her "trust" in jumping aboard the "Trump Train" and selling a boatload of books, and the Donald threw a wrench into it on day one.