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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Publishers stop Facebook ad spending over policy that treats publishers as political advertisers

The Financial Times and New York Media suspended their paid media on Facebook over concerns about how news publishers are treated under its new ad policy. The post Publishers stop Facebook ad spending over policy that treats publishers as political advertisers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter looks to woo smaller, Facebook-frustrated publishers with new site

Twitter will launch a site to help smaller publishers use its platform through how-to guides and case studies from larger publishers it works with directly. The post Twitter looks to woo smaller, Facebook-frustrated publishers with new site appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘A fun adventure, not a business’: The Weather Channel stopped publishing video on Facebook

The Weather Channel is no longer actively publishing videos to Facebook due to a lack of meaningful revenue and Facebook's tendency to routinely shift its priorities. The post ‘A fun adventure, not a business’: The Weather Channel stopped publishing video on Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magazine publishers with video ambitions see YouTube as safer bet than Facebook

Fast Company and The Atlantic are among other smaller video publishers that are prioritizing YouTube. The post Magazine publishers with video ambitions see YouTube as safer bet than Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Says It Deleted 865 Million Posts, Mostly Spam

Facebook published numbers for the first time detailing how much and what type of content it removes from the social network. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2018-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook has already removed 583 million fake accounts this year

Last month, Facebook published its internal community enforcement guidelines for the first time and today, the company has provided some numbers to show what that enforcement really looks like. In a new report that will be published quarterly, Facebo... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CalSTRS hammers Facebook for entrenching Zuckerberg — but does it have the power to force a change?

The California State Teachers Retirement System, which carries a huge amount of stock market clout as the state’s second largest public pension fund, recently had some very harsh words for Facebook, one of its largest investments. In an op-ed published Wednesday in the Financial Times, Aeisha... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why BuzzFeed News premiered a show on Apple News before Facebook, YouTube, Twitter

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[ Digiday | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are finding (modest) success with Facebook groups

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[ Digiday | 2018-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is trying to close the book on Cambridge Analytica

Mark Zuckerberg is over it. Yes, Facebook allowed the data of more than 80 million users to land in the hands of a partisan political consulting firm during an obscenely contentious presidential election, but that's all in the distant past. You know,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook says it wants to do right by news organizations

Back in January, Facebook announced that it would henceforth de-emphasize posts from brands and publishers in users’ news feeds in favor of ones from friends and family. Media organizations—which have long been dependent on Facebook for traffic, albeit more than a trifle embarassed by that... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Are Google and Facebook Undermining Europe's Privacy Rules?

Regulators, publishers, and privacy watchdogs say moves by the tech giants may leave European internet users no better off. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mic faces an uncertain future in a post-Facebook world

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[ Digiday | 2018-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After years of chasing Facebook traffic, Mic goes for ‘deliberate distribution’

The millennial-aimed publisher has cut its editorial output by two-thirds and now measures videos and stories based on time spent rather than view counts. The post After years of chasing Facebook traffic, Mic goes for ‘deliberate distribution’ appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook publishes its internal Community Standards guidelines and introduces appeals process

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[ Betanews | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook reveals its censorship guidelines for the first time — 27 pages of them

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook says its free news feed is helping journalism

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[ The Guardian | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook finally explains why it bans some content, in 27 pages

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[ Baltimore Sun | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digiday Research: Majority of publishers aren’t worried about Facebook’s algorithm changes

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[ Digiday | 2018-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘No feedback and zero movement’: Facebook Watch’s international expansion is off to a rocky start

For U.K. publishers, the journey to becoming a Facebook Watch partner is not an obvious one. The post ‘No feedback and zero movement’: Facebook Watch’s international expansion is off to a rocky start appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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