DOJ to Hold Listening Session on Social Media Bias with State Attorneys General

entLayout-1","role":"container", "type":"container"}, {"identifier":" anf-author- 2","layout": "ComponentLayout- 31","role":"author", "text":"WASHINGTON", "textStyle": "author", "type"™:"text"}, {"identifie e":" anf-intro-1","layout":"intro","role":"intro","text":"The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday it will hold a \"listening session\" with officials from more than a dozen states on Tuesday to discuss consumer protection and the technology industry, an agency official said.","textStyle"™:"intro", "type": "text"}],"identifier":" anf- container-2", "Layout": "ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components"™: [{"identifi er":"_ anf-body-1", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"The meeting, first announced on Sept. 5, was called by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to discuss whether social media companies have intentionally stifled \"the free exchange of ideas.\" It followed criticisms by President Donald Trump of social media outlets, alleging unfair treatment of conservatives.","textStyle": "body", "type":"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 3","layout":"ComponentLayout-— i","role":"container", "style":"container", "type": "container"},{"components": [{"identifi er":" anf-body-2", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"Sessions will meet with attorneys general or representatives from California, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas, among others, said the official, who declined to be named.", "textStyle": "body", "type": "text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 4","layout":"ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components"™: [{"addition s":[{"URL":"http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?utm source=applenewsésymbol FB.O", "range": {"length":4, "start":65}, "type":"Link"}, {"URL":"http://www.reuters.com/fin ance/stocks/overview?utm source=applenewsésymbol=TWIR.N", "range": {"length":6, "start":83 }, "type™:"Link"}, ("URL": "http://www. reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?utm_source=appl enewsésymbol=GOOGL.O", "range": {"length":7, "start ":120},"type":"link"}],"identifier":"_a nf-body-3", "Layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role": "body", "text":"Discussions are expected to focus on companies like Facebook Inc FB.0O, Twitter Inc TWTR.N and Google owner Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O, which have been accused by some conservatives of seeking to xclude their ideas.","textStyle":"body","type":"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 5","layout"™:"ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components": [{"identifi er":" anf-body-4", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"The companies have denied any bias.","textStyle":"body", "type":"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 6", "layout": "ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components"™: [{"identifi er":"_ anf-body-5", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body","text":"As of Monday, two people familiar with the planning said that they had not yet seen an agenda for the meeting. Last Friday, a person familiar with the discussions said the Justice Department was considering delaying the meeting.","textsStyle"™:"body", "type":"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 7","layout":"ComponentLayout-— i","role":"container", "style":"container", "type": "container"},{"components": [{"identifi er":"_ anf-body-6", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"The Justice Department had previously said it had invited a bipartisan group of 24 state attorneys general to attend the Sept. 25 meeting.", "textStyle": "body", "type": "text "}],"identifier":" anf-container- 8", "Layout": "ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components"™: [{"identifi er":" anf-body-7", "Layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said that he worries about suppression of conservative ideas on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.","textstyle": "body", "type":"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 9","layout": "ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components"™: [{"identifi er":" anf-body-8", "layout": "ComponentLayout-31","role":"body", "text":"A spokeswoman for Attorney General Xavier Becerra from California, home to much of the tech industry, said that he looked forward to a \"thoughtful\" meeting.","textstyle":"body", "type"™:"text"}],"identifier":" anf-container- 10","layout":"ComponentLayout-— i","role": "container", "style":"container", "type":"container"},{"components": [{"identifi er":" anf-body-9", "layout": "ComponentLayout-—31","role":"body", "text":"Representative Greg Walden, chair of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a hearing this month that Twitter had made \"mistakes\" that, he said, minimized Republicans' presence on its site, a practice conservatives have labeled \"shadow HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_033475