67,000
Deplatformed overnight — by an algorithm
In July 2026, Meta’s AI wrongly shut down The Bloomingtonian, a real hyperlocal newsroom — accusing a genuine local voice of only “pretending” to be one. 67,000 followers, 111 paying subscribers and ~$11,000/yr in revenue vanished. It was restored nine days later; the subscribers and their payments never came back — and “no human would talk to him further.”
Meta · Poynter · July 2026




