ArcaMax

Yet, by attempting to delete the reference, Stinnett declares, "Facebook succeeds only in whitewashing America's founding just as we get ready to celebrate it."

Was this an example of political correctness run amok? Before Stinnett could get through to a human at Facebook to find out, the newspaper received an apologetic note from the social media behemoth. "It looks like we made a mistake and removed something you posted on Facebook that didn't go against our Community Standards," it said. "We want to apologize and let you know that we've restored your content and removed any blocks on your account related to this incorrect action."

That's a relief. Both Facebook and the newspaper are privately owned companies, not government, so First Amendment protections don't apply. But customer relations and public responsibility still count and Facebook has had to wrestle increasingly with allegations of censorship and bias from across the political spectrum, especially after Russian meddling in our 2016 elections via social networks was uncovered.

While the social network has blocked some racial provocateurs, for example, its executives also faced questioning along with Google and Twitter before the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee about allegations of liberal bias.

Commentaries by Diamond and Silk, two conservative black American women, had been deemed "unsafe" by Facebook, which later restored them. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the "unsafe" judgement an "enforcement error."

More urgently, human rights groups have complained about its handling of hate-filled posts linked to violence in countries like Myanmar.

As Facebook's mammoth size, profits and influence increase, pressure to filter offense from its web pages is not going away. Artificial intelligence can quickly flag two-word phrases that put an inflammatory word like "savages" next to a group of people like "Indians." But it takes a human to see the larger significance and context of such a patriotic document.

At least, this episode makes me worry a little bit less about the long-forecast day when computers get smart enough to wonder among themselves why they need to put up with us "meatbags," as we are derisively called by Bender the robot on "Futurama."

For some time to come, I expect robots and social networks will still need us humans, the nut behind the wheel, if only to help them understand humans. We also can help to recharge batteries.

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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.)

(c) 2018 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.