Reductress is a well-known feminist satire site that skewers clickbait-y women’s media — popular articles include “Wealthy Friend A Totally Free Spirit” and “These Women Are Beautiful, Even Though They Are All Freshwater Catfish.” Facebook periodically tries to cut back on sensational, low-quality “clickbait” content by reducing the reach of pages that post it. Facebook is also a gargantuan platform policed by a combination of automated systems and overworked moderators. You won’t believe what happened next.
This morning, site co-founder Sarah Pappalardo posted a Facebook alert that “Reductress has reduced distribution because of repeated sharing of clickbait.” According to Pappalardo, Facebook cited a couple of examples of clickbait…