Nobody at Facebook pushed a button, but the article was edited to remove an unflattering reference to Sheryl Sandberg after a phone call from Facebook PR.

Also, just because you work(ed) at a company it does not mean you are fully aware of everything that goes on there, so don't make blanket statements about what can or can't happen.

Employees are often some of the least informed about the inner workings of an organization, as they tend to dismiss uncomfortable findings out of hand and refuse to read about them.