EXERCEPTS FROM WSJ ARTICLE:

After more than a year of research and discussion, Facebook Inc. FB 2.10% late this summer shelved a project called “Common Ground” that tried to encourage users with different political beliefs to interact in less-hostile ways. One reason: fears the proposed fix could trigger claims of bias against conservatives, according to people familiar with the decision.

The objections were raised by Joel Kaplan, a former White House aide to George W. Bush who has emerged as Facebook’s protector against allegations of political bias—and thus one of its most powerful and controversial executives.

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Mr. Kaplan, who is based in Washington, D.C., for years kept a low profile. That changed this fall when he attended a hearing of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as the judge responded to questions about sexual-misconduct allegations raised by Christine Blasey Ford. Mr. Kaplan’s appearance sparked fierce debate among Facebook employeesand cast a spotlight on his work, both internally and externally.