Sponcon Disclosure Lessons from Teen Vogue’s Facebook Article Controversy

As the lines between journalism and advertising become increasingly blurred, media companies must be on high alert for potential pitfalls around the failure to properly disclose sponsored content. The proper characterization of content as commercial advertising, and the proper disclosure of such sponsored content, has drawn the scrutiny of both the Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Division in recent years. Teen Vogue’s equivocation on whether an uncritical article on Facebook’s role in the 2020 election amounted to sponsored content provides many lessons from which other media companies should learn. Earlier today, Teen Vogue published an article titled, “How Facebook Is Helping Ensure the Integrity of the 2020 Election.” The Twitterverse was set abuzz, because it seemed to be overly laudatory of Facebook and did not contain any critical questioning.  Commentators found the questions posed and the tone of the article surprising in light of Facebook’s role in the 2016 election and its recent public pronouncement regarding its approach in 2020. “Interesting pivot for Teen Vogue here to… Facebook PR?” tweeted Steven Perlberg, a freelance writer formerly with BuzzfFeed News and The Wall Street Journal, while Molly Jong-Fast of The Daily Beast described the article as “so sketchy.” Approximately an hour after it was posted, Teen Vogue added a prominent disclosure below the headline, stating, “Editor’s note: This is sponsored editorial content.” In a... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-01-09 00:40:34 UTC ]
News tagged with: #clear message #digital age

Other news stories related to: "Sponcon Disclosure Lessons from Teen Vogue’s Facebook Article Controversy"


Gov. Gavin Newsom's Facebook ads in swing states stir 2020 speculation

Political ads featuring California Gov. Gavin Newsom are popping up on Facebook in Ohio, Florida and other swing states in the 2020 presidential election, stirring speculation about whether the Democrat is testing the waters for a potential White House run. Newsom, who was sworn into office less... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #swing states #facebook ads


‘Publishers were always a second priority’: Confessions of a former Facebook exec on the platform’s struggles with video

"We generated revenue from brands. If content was so important, you’d think we would be trying harder to please publishers." The post ‘Publishers were always a second priority’: Confessions of a former Facebook exec on the platform’s struggles with video appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #facebook exec #video appeared #post publishers


Facebook just purged hundreds of fake accounts linked to a Russian news network

This is just the last announcement in its crackdown on “inauthentic” behavior. Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher published a blog post this morning saying the company has discovered and removed hundreds of pages and accounts it deemed to be “inauthentic.” The pages came... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook is funding more programs catering to local news publishers

Facebook announced over $30 million in grants to organizations trying to help local news publishers. The post Facebook is funding more programs catering to local news publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #$30 million #post facebook #facebook announced


‘Efficient’: Publishers are recycling their Instagram efforts for Facebook Stories

Once a ghost town, Facebook Stories has gotten increasingly more attractive to publishers. The post ‘Efficient’: Publishers are recycling their Instagram efforts for Facebook Stories appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Northern California pastor exits church after controversy over anti-LGBTQ sign

A Northern California pastor has parted ways with his church following outrage over a sign outside the parish that read, “Bruce Jenner is still a man, homosexuality is still a sin.” The sign, shared on the pastor’s Facebook page, sparked protests and national news coverage. Justin Hoke announced... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #parted ways


JKP to publish autistic teen activist's 'inspiring guide to life'

Jessica Kingsley Publishers has commissioned "an inspiring guide to life" from Siena Castellon, an autistic teen activist who won the BBC Radio 1 Teen Hero Award for her advocacy work and anti-bullying campaigning. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook rolls out fact-checking operation in UK

Social network brings in independent charity in attempt to tackle misinformationFacebook’s fact-checking operation is launching in the UK, with the independent charity Full Fact selected to be the first British publisher to review and rate the accuracy of content on the social network.Posts,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #british publisher #facebook rolls


Older people more likely to share fake news on Facebook, study finds

Researchers suggest over-65s may lack skills to determine veracity of online newsOlder people are almost four times more likely to have shared fake news on Facebook than the younger generation, according to research published in the journal Science.On average, American Facebook users over 65... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #research published #younger generation


The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton

Despite employing a small army of contractors to monitor posts, it’s clear the company is no longer fit for purposeWay back in the 1950s, a pioneering British cybernetician, W Ross Ashby, proposed a fundamental law of dynamic systems. In his book An Introduction to Cybernetics, he formulated his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #plain english


Vogue publisher Condé Nast reports annual loss of £14m

The 2017 figure is huge swing from £6.6m profit of previous year as publisher invests in digital growthCondé Nast, the owner of glossy magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ, has slumped to a £14m annual loss as it battles to reshape its business for the digital future.The high-end... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pre-tax loss #digital future #vanity fair


'Resign from Facebook': experts offer Mark Zuckerberg advice for 2019

The CEO sets himself a personal challenge every new year. But after a bruising 12 months, what should he do next? When Mark Zuckerberg began his annual “personal challenges” in 2009, he set the bar pretty low: he dressed like an adult every day for a year. Subsequent challenges were squarely in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hate speech #fake news #road trip


Would you delete Facebook for $1,000? This economist put that theory to the test

Tufts University economist Sean Cash doesn’t normally dabble in the valuations of giant tech companies. As the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy professor puts it, “My bread and butter is bread and butter.” But a few years ago, Cash got interested in answering the question of how... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #delete facebook


Facebook may finally face a reckoning as more grave misdeeds are revealed | Jill Abramson

Moves to oust the company’s leadership team of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg suddenly look a lot more serious as its legal position becomes more perilous So far, the public and political reaction in the US to Facebook’s grave misdeeds has been surprisingly muted. That’s about to change.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #news stories #cambridge analytica #mark zuckerberg


Didn’t think Facebook could get any worse? Think again.

Just about 24 hours ago, we published a story recapping Facebook's terrible 2018. But the year isn't over, and it looks like the drama is going to continue until the bitter end. According to an investigation by The New York Times that cites interview... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


What It Means to Delete Facebook

Facebook is closing out a bruising 2018 filled with high-profile scandals. It started with additional fallout from Russian election meddling and soon included misinformation, Cambridge Analytica, security breaches, and a shady opposition research firm. A new report published just this week found... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #report published #cambridge analytica #delete facebook


Facebook users cannot avoid location-based ads, investigation finds

No combination of settings can stop location data being used by advertisers, says reportFacebook targets users with location-based adverts even if they block the company from accessing GPS on their phones, turn off location history in the app, hide their work location on their profile and never... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #investigation finds


Facebook's privacy problems: a roundup

The social media giant’s troubles have led to lawsuits, House of Commons hearings and several apologiesFacebook disclosed on Friday that a bug may have affected up to 6.8 million users, allowing app developers to see photos that users had uploaded but never posted – but this was hardly the first... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #text history #smartphone apps


Facebook Audience Network Joined Google’s Open Bidding Program

Publishers using mobile ad network Facebook Audience Network now have another bidding option: the Open Bidding program from Google. The social network wrote in a blog post announcing the move, "Publishers are increasingly using unified auctions to maximize their advertising revenue. Bidding, as... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #advertising revenue


Sean Parker built Napster and helped lead Facebook. Now he’ll guide you to the beach

When Sean Parker crossed California's beach access police over his wedding in Big Sur, the tech billionaire agreed to create a coastal access app for the people. The app launches Thursday after an unusual collaboration between two very different, but very California, worlds. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |