PRESS RELEASE: FreeAstroScience Calls on Meta to End Algorithmic Suppression of Newsworthy Content
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 26, 2026
FreeAstroScience Demands Transparency and Reform After Facebook Suppresses Civil Rights Documentation
Independent science publication joins growing chorus of voices calling for Meta to stop silencing journalism under the guise of "violent content" moderation
TIRANA, AL — FreeAstroScience, an independent digital publication dedicated to science communication and public education, today issued a formal call for Meta to end its algorithmic suppression of newsworthy content documenting civil rights abuses.
This statement follows Facebook's decision on January 26, 2026, to downgrade FreeAstroScience's post about Operation Metro Surge—the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history—claiming the content "might include video showing explicitly violent content."
The post, which reflected on federal agents occupying Minneapolis streets and the deaths of American citizens during enforcement actions, was not removed. Instead, Facebook buried it in users' feeds and excluded it from recommendations—effectively silencing journalism about a historic civil rights crisis without explanation or appeal.
The Pattern Is Clear: Documentation Gets Punished
We're not the first to face this. And we won't be the last.
Human Rights Watch documented over 1,050 cases of content suppression on Facebook and Instagram between October and November 2023 alone—nearly all involving peaceful content documenting human rights concerns. The organization found that Meta's content moderation is "systemic and global," with users in over 60 countries affected.
The ACLU has warned for years that when Facebook gives itself broad censorship powers, "it will inevitably take down important speech and silence already marginalized voices." We've watched this happen in real time. When activists of color and white users posted identical content, Facebook moderators censored only the activists of color. When people used Facebook to document police violence, the platform shut down their livestreams.
Now, in January 2026, we're watching algorithms bury documentation of federal agents occupying American streets—not because the content violates any policy, but because machines can't tell the difference between violence being committed and violence being reported.
What We're Asking For
FreeAstroScience formally calls on Meta to:
Reform the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy to align with international human rights standards, as recommended by Human Rights Watch and the Meta Oversight Board.
Create transparent "newsworthy allowances" that protect journalism documenting civil rights abuses, law enforcement actions, and matters of public concern—applied consistently and without discrimination.
End the suppression of documentation. Algorithms that can't distinguish between glorifying violence and reporting violence have no business moderating content about historic events.
Disclose government influence on content moderation. Meta must publish the number and nature of requests for content removal from government agencies—including U.S. federal agencies—and how it responded to them.
Restore meaningful appeals. Human Rights Watch found that in over 300 documented cases, users couldn't even appeal restrictions on their accounts. This isn't moderation. It's silencing without recourse.
Why This Matters Beyond Our Post
Two American citizens—Renée Good and Alex Pretti—have been killed during Operation Metro Surge. Over 3,000 people have been arrested, including U.S. citizens wrongfully detained. Tens of thousands have marched in subzero temperatures to protest.
This is the story of 2026. And when platforms suppress documentation of these events, they don't just hurt individual creators. They deprive the public of information necessary to understand what's happening in their own country.
As the ACLU stated plainly: "Given Facebook's nearly unparalleled status as a forum for political speech and debate, it should not take down anything but unlawful speech, like incitement to violence."
Our post wasn't incitement. It was journalism. And journalism shouldn't require scrolling past cat videos to find.
About FreeAstroScience
FreeAstroScience is an independent digital publication committed to making complex scientific and societal issues accessible to everyone. We believe the sleep of reason breeds monsters—and that informed citizens are the foundation of a healthy society.
We will continue documenting what matters, regardless of algorithmic penalties.
Media Contact
FreeAstroScience Editorial Team Website: FreeAstroScience.com Email: gerd@freeastroscience.com
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Editor's Note
The screenshot below shows the Facebook notification FreeAstroScience received on January 26, 2026, indicating our post was moved lower in the feed due to content that "might include video showing explicitly violent content":
[Screenshot: Facebook notification in Italian stating "Abbiamo spostato il tuo post più in basso nel feed" with explanation that the post might include "contenuti di violenza esplicita"]
This press release was issued by FreeAstroScience on January 26, 2026. We stand with all journalists, activists, and citizens whose voices have been suppressed by opaque algorithmic systems. The public's right to know cannot be sacrificed to automated moderation that fails to understand context.
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