Facebook makes changes to ‘trending topics’ after review

In this June 11, 2014, file photo, a man walks past a mural in an office on the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, Calif. On Thursday, May 12, 2016, Facebook pulled back the curtain on how its Trending Topics feature works, a reaction to a report that suggested Facebook downplays conservative news subjects. AP FILE PHOTO

LOS ANGELES— Facebook says it is dropping its reliance on news outlets to help determine what gets posted as a “trending topic” on the giant social network following a backlash over a report saying it suppressed conservative views.

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Facebook’s General Counsel Colin Stretch outlined this and other reforms in a 12-page letter sent Monday to Republican Sen. John Thune, chairman of the commerce committee, which oversees the Internet and consumer protections.

Facebook didn’t say why it would stop looking to news outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and Drudge Report to automatically nominate topics for its trending feature.

As part of a review, the company found that topics could be temporarily suppressed if news outlets weren’t reporting on them enough.

Facebook said it found no evidence of systemic political bias.