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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Ally taps DC universe in new campaign supporting diverse comic book creators

This is part of a broader marketing effort by the online financial company that includes its first foray into TikTok.  Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-10-16 17:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


Springer Nature joins climate action emission reduction campaign

Springer Nature is joining the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign, a call-to-action for companies to set emissions reduction targets that can collectively limit global temperature increases.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-15 02:29:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #springer nature


News Corp’s Andrew Bolt says his company’s climate campaign is ‘rubbish’

Commentator adds voice to backlash against Mission Zero editorial project which has been criticised by some longtime supporters of climate actionGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingThe prominent Murdoch commentator Andrew Bolt says News Corp Australia’s major editorial campaign... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-10-12 16:30:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #andrew bolt #climate action #scott morrison #australian readers #news corp


Connection issues

It was the most inauspicious of moments but maybe that is why it happened. I was sitting in front of a recently demolished breakfast, across from two friends resuming the thread of a conversation I had stepped back from, while I observed two kids wrestling over a soft toy as a group of adults... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 12:16:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stepped back #authoritative voices


School Librarians Must Treat the Fight for Their Future Like the Political Campaign It Is

The time has come for school librarians and their allies to abandon their traditional advocacy toolkits and to act boldly to secure the future of the profession. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #school librarians #political campaign


The Morning After: Facebook's October 4th outage, explained

We’ll get into why Facebook saw its entire business fall off a cliff on Monday, but first: e-readers.It’s a device category we don’t see much development in — probably because it’s very much a device for reading text and not much else. Amazon’s Kindle, thanks to its powerful online e-book store,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-10-06 11:15:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #months ago #kindle #e-book


High court rules Australian media companies can be liable for defamatory comments posted on Facebook pages

Decision rejecting appeal in Voller defamation case means companies will be likely to ban comments on more social media postsGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingSome of Australia’s biggest media companies have lost a bid in the high court to escape liability for defamatory... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-08 03:33:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook pages #high court #northern territory #royal commission #fairfax


Campaign urges action with days left before copyright consultation ends

Organisers of the Save Our Books campaign against changes to the UK’s copyright laws have called on supporters to make their voice heard before the government’s consultation ends on 31st August.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-27 05:38:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #days left #books campaign #copyright laws


Pandemic Missed Connections: August 19, 2021

In this fifth and final installment of our series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #final installment #asked editors


Hamnet summer campaign employs 'living billboard'

The marketing and publicity team behind Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (Tinder Press) have unfurled a living billboard in south London, as part of their summer reading campaign. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-17 10:34:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publicity team #shamnettinder press #south london


Pandemic Missed Connections: August 12, 2021

In this fourth installment of our series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fourth installment #asked editors


Pandemic Missed Connections

In our ongoing series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #asked editors


Pandemic Missed Connections: August 5, 2021

In this third installment of our series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #asked editors


Pandemic Missed Connections: July 29, 2021

In this second installment of our new series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #asked editors


Pandemic Missed Connections

We asked children's and YA editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #asked children #ya editors


Facebook, Fox, and what ‘killing people’ means in a pandemic

Last Thursday, with confirmed cases of COVID-19 again rising across the US, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, issued his first advisory since the Biden administration took office: health mis- and disinformation, he said, has prolonged the pandemic, not least by exposing Americans to... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-21 12:37:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #belarusian association #secrecy laws #nieman lab #pushed back #book based


LoveAudio campaign returns with online events

#LoveAudio, the Publishers Association's annual audiobook campaign, will return for a fifth year this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-10 01:47:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online events ##loveaudio #publishers association #audiobook


Facebook’s strategy: Avert disaster, apologize and keep growing

Privacy abuses and misinformation were secondary concerns, two tech reporters write. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-07-09 05:04:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #avert disaster


Wildfire signs rainforest campaigner Nenquimo's 'clarion call'

Wildfire has signed memoir We Will Not Be Saved, a “clarion call” to protect the rainforest and respect tribespeople by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-24 23:25:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #clarion call


ABA Brings Back #BoxedOut Marketing Campaign

Ahead of Amazon's Prime Day sales event, set for June 21 and 22, the ABA is reviving its #BoxedOut campaign, which is aimed at highlighting the danger that Amazon's dominance of online retailing continues to pose for local communities and independent stores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local communities #independent stores