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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Facebook Is Committing Another $4.5 Million to Initiatives for News Publishers

Facebook announced Thursday that it is pumping another $4.5 million into Facebook Journalism Project initiatives for news publishers. Global head of news Campbell Brown said in a blog post that Facebook will put $3.5 million toward the Facebook Membership Accelerator pilot program and contribute... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$1 million #news publishers #global head


PBS 'Frontline' special 'The Facebook Dilemma' outpaces the scary stories on other networks

AMC may think it’s cornered the horror market with an upcoming documentary series produced by Eli Roth, but in terms of providing timely, real-life scares, PBS’ “Frontline” looks tough to beat with its latest two-part investigation, “The Facebook Dilemma.” With a well-earned reputation for... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook suspends US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

InfoWars owner found to have violated social network’s community standardsAlex Jones, the American conspiracy theorist who runs the InfoWars website, has been suspended from Facebook for bullying and hate speech.The suspension will last for 30 days, and affects only Jones’s personal account on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hate speech #personal account #post content


Google and Facebook are strangling the free press to death. Democracy is the loser | Barry Lynn

As gatekeepers to the news, Google and Facebook pose dangers to even the most successful outlets. Legislators need to speed the process of bringing them to heelAfter Europe’s top monopoly buster Margrethe Vestager fined Google more than $5bn for abusing its dominance over mobile phone... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big tech #sharp decline #online advertising #newsroom staff #people working


Vote Leave's targeted Brexit ads released by Facebook

The social media ads that helped Vote Leave win the EU referendum are published in full for the first time. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2018-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vote leave #eu referendum


Facebook is basically done growing in the U.S., Canada, and Europe

Facebook reported misses on revenue, daily active user count, and monthly active user count. Now the stock is in a free fall. Facebook shares are sliding after the company published its most recent quarterly earnings report. A lot has been riding on the company’s financials as it continues to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook shares #company published #free fall


Post-Facebook, PinkNews launches on Snapchat Discover

Digital publisher PinkNews has high hopes for the commercial prospects of being a Snapchat Discover publisher. The post Post-Facebook, PinkNews launches on Snapchat Discover appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Breen and McLysaght on 'Aisling's' transformation from Facebook joke to bestselling franchise

Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen’s Facebook-fuelled college joke got out of hand—and landed the duo a bestselling fiction franchise. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Friday Wake-Up Call: Trump's 2016 ad strategy reportedly impressed Facebook

Welcome to Ad Age's Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device. Search for "Ad Age" under "Skills" in the Alexa app. What people are talking about today: Chance the Rapper is also a... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is hitting publishers where it hurts: here’s what you can do

It’s no secret that Facebook is cracking down on publishers. This strategic move makes perfect sense for the social media giant, but it leaves many online publishers wary of the buzz that they may have heard recently about abrupt changes that Facebook is planning to roll out. Sponsored by... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘To sit down with them is valuable’: With $3m in grants and advice, Facebook finds favor from local newspapers

Participants have been pleasantly surprised at the program, which helped spread best practices for publishers trying to grow their subscriptions. The post ‘To sit down with them is valuable’: With $3m in grants and advice, Facebook finds favor from local newspapers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local newspapers #pleasantly surprised


The First Batch of Facebook-Funded News Shows for Watch Is Debuting Monday

Facebook announced last month that it was funding an initiative to create news shows from 10 to 12 U.S. publishers for its Facebook Watch video platform, and the first slate of those shows will begin streaming Monday, July 16. Head of global news partnerships Campbell Brown and product manager... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook announced #product manager


USA Today finds there’s still money to be made from feel-good videos on Facebook

The publisher has found success with its "HumanKind" and related video series that tell uplifting stories about people and animals. The post USA Today finds there’s still money to be made from feel-good videos on Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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He's CEO, bitch: Young Zuckerberg and the early days of Facebook revealed

"Everyone who has seen 'The Social Network' knows the story of Facebook's founding," Adam Fisher writes at the start of "Sex, Beer, and Coding: Inside Facebook's Wild Early Days" in Wired. The article sets up an excerpt from "Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley," Fisher's... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will Facebook and Google really help drive subscriptions?

Google and Facebook are making a big show of demonstrating their interest in helping news publishers. The post Will Facebook and Google really help drive subscriptions? appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #drive subscriptions #big show


YouTube and Facebook escape billions in copyright payouts after EU vote

Controversial new law that critics claimed threatened internet freedom is rejectedGoogle, YouTube and Facebook could escape having to make billions in payouts to press publishers, record labels and artists after EU lawmakers voted to reject proposed changes to copyright rules that aimed to make... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #copyright rules #press publishers #record labels #european parliament #internet giants


John Green and PRH launch Mind fundraising campaign

Penguin Random House Children’s has pledged to donate money to the mental health charity Mind as part of a fundraising campaign tied to John Green’s latest book Turtles All The Way Down. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook hires Spiegel exec (and sometimes critic) to strengthen relations with publishers in Europe

“A lot of trust has been destroyed in the past months due to Facebook's unpredictable and unreliable actions." The post Facebook hires Spiegel exec (and sometimes critic) to strengthen relations with publishers in Europe appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s how many Facebook ads some publishers are running on their main pages

After a change Facebook made June 28, you can now see how much publishers advertise on the platform. The post Here’s how many Facebook ads some publishers are running on their main pages appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook pulls Walmart and P&G ads for lacking 'political' labeling

UPDATE: After this article was published, Facebook reversed its decision that the Walmart ad was political and required a "paid for by" disclosure. "The aim of this policy and authorization process is increased authenticity for political ads on Facebook," a spokeswoman said in an email. "It... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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