Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign

Perhaps you’ve probably heard: Facebook and Google are at war, and Facebook’s not afraid to play dirty. Thursday’s revelation that the social networking site hired PR firm Burston-Marsteller to plant a negative story about Google’s privacy settings raises a number of questions. Like, “Who at Facebook thought this was a good idea?” The company isn't responding to the question right now. Until they do, it helps to look at the players involved. There’s Burston-Marsteller, the global PR firm run by CEO Mark Penn. There’s Jim Goldman, the former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC (and frequent target of high school-style ridicule). He’s become the fall guy for Burston-Marsteller. There’s Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s universally praised COO. And then there’s Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy. Penn, of course, is a Washington heavy hitter: he worked as a pollster to President Clinton during both of his terms and the Washington Post noted how “thoroughly integrated into the policymaking operation” he’d become. Penn’s also no stranger to criticism from Washington observers: he gained notoriety for missteps as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential bid. He eventually stepped down after feuding with other aides, and for reportedly offering Clinton some of her worst advice (like, emphasize Barack Obama’s foreignness). Penn’s also no stranger to the tech world—he’s credited with making Microsoft into one of the country’s most... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #googles head #silicon valley #focus attention

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HQ scoops memoir from broadcaster and campaigner Sarpong

HQ has scooped the first memoir by June Sarpong, charting her life from early childhood in Ghana to a career as broadcaster and campaigner. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 07:55:25 UTC ]
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Authors, Austerity and the UK’s Save Our Libraries Campaign

The UK's Save Our Libraries campaign, spearheaded by librarians and authors, began nearly 10 years ago - but has it achieved its goal of stopping closures? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-06-08 10:31:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #libraries campaign #libraries


The Uncles Bookstores in Minneapolis Conduct Fundraising Campaign

After confusion regarding the legitimacy of a GoFundMe campaign to benefit two Minneapolis bookstores that burned down Friday night, the store's owner has taken it over and is urging supporters to donate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gofundme campaign #friday night


How I’m Using Byzans to Connect With Other Book Lovers This Quarantine

Learn about Byzans, an online book club app that connects fellow readers, and participate in a book club without leaving your home. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-06-03 10:34:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book lovers #book club #online book


Trump, Facebook, and the weaponization of free speech

Yesterday—as protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, continued across the US—things that President Trump said caused trouble again, and drove the news again. First, Trump laid into governors on a conference call that quickly leaked to the press; he called... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-06-02 12:08:10 UTC ]
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In an age of cancellations and quarantine, people are turning to Twitter for connections — and premium content

Each year around this time, digital publishers and tech platforms announce their content plans for the year ahead. These annual upfront and NewFronts pitches are a bid to partner with agencies and advertisers to reassemble audiences across the ever-changing video landscape. That process will... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-05-28 01:23:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year ahead #premium content #digital publishers


Samanta Schweblin’s ‘Little Eyes’ envisions a world connected — and sometimes torn apart — by tiny, adorable gadgets

Cuddly devices known as kentuki are the latest trend, but the fallout from their popularity is hard to predict. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-19 15:58:15 UTC ]
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Experts weigh in on Facebook’s new Oversight Board

Almost two years after it first started talking about the idea, Facebook finally announced the members of its Oversight Board, the “Supreme Court” that will—theoretically, at least—have the ability to overrule Facebook and its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg  about whether certain types of... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-05-14 11:45:42 UTC ]
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PRH Continues Digital Consumer Outreach with #BooksConnectUs Campaign

Penguin Random House's efforts to to pivot to a new, digital normal are some of the broadest in the publishing business thus far, and its #BooksConnectUs initiative, which will turn two months old on May 20, is its connective tissue. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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AHRC launches pandemic culture campaign

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is to explore the impact of culture during the Covid-19 pandemic via a new campaign, Boundless Creativity. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-07 09:18:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 pandemic


Elliott & Thompson launches online campaign of 'soothing words'

Elliott & Thomspon is launching an online campaign to show "the comfort words can bring", in partnership with author Paul Anthony Jones. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 02:55:55 UTC ]
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Instagram’s story: Fast growth, a $1 billion sale and Facebook’s broken pledge

Sarah Frier traces the company’s cultural impact along with its business history. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-30 15:32:33 UTC ]
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Natasha Trethewey: I find myself longing for slower ways of connection

The former U.S. poet laureate discusses the pleasures of anticipating letters from friends and shares the poetry she is turning to during the coronavirus crisis Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-30 09:26:58 UTC ]
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National Writing Day launches online #writefromhome campaign

National Writing Day is launching a bank of online writing resources for students, as part of a campaign to encourage them to write during lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-28 22:46:41 UTC ]
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Andersen to publish second YA novel from Sally Nicholls with 'bumper' Christmas campaign

Andersen Press will publish Sally Nicholls' The Silent Stars Go By in November.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-27 07:51:23 UTC ]
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City Lights Bookstore launches successful GoFundMe campaign

One of the world's most famous bookstores was forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak and asked for help to pay the bills Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2020-04-12 16:59:42 UTC ]
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The Silent Book Club, a global meet-up for introverts, now connects them remotely

A book club for people who don't like book clubs, founded in 2012 in San Francisco and now boasting six chapters in L.A. County, has moved online. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-10 14:00:07 UTC ]
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What Google and Facebook need to do to fight disinformation

Both Google and Facebook have acted surprisingly quickly to remove disinformation related to the COVID-19 virus over the past few weeks, considering their somewhat mixed track record when it comes to removing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and trolls related to political campaigns. But experts... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-09 11:45:11 UTC ]
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Libraries Connected launches online services round-up

Charity Libraries Connected has launched Libraries From Home, a page on its website rounding up remote services libraries across the country are delivering during the coronavirus crisis.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-07 01:22:20 UTC ]
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Indies Launch GoFundMe Campaigns to Survive Coronavirus Shutdown

Several indies have launched, with varying degrees of success, GoFundMe fundraising campaigns to help them raise funds to pay bills and employees during a national shutdown that may last for months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #varying degrees #raise funds #pay bills