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


Who wore it best? Take your pick of anti-Facebook magazine covers

It doesn't seem so long ago that a lot of publications would compete for readers by publishing hagiographical stories about the world-changing visionaires at social media companies, including Facebook.Particularly in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we may still think that Facebook... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bloomberg businessweek #long ago #including facebook


Now Playboy deletes its Facebook account, citing values

Playboy announced its intention to deactivate its Facebook accounts and leave the social network amid escalating concerns about the platform's mismanagement of user data.The publisher said the decision follows the difficulty it has felt for years to express its "values" on Facebook, due to the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tim Cook Takes a Dig at Facebook, Preaches Apple’s Patriotism

Apple CEO Tim Cook had some harsh words for Facebook and defended his company’s manufacturing practices during an interview with Recode and MSNBC on Wednesday. The full interview won’t air until April 6*, but Recode published some excerpts on its website. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook shares fall as FTC confirms it is investigating the company's privacy practices

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed Monday that it opened an investigation of Facebook and the Senate Judiciary Committee called on the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to testify as scrutiny mounts over the social media giant’s handling of user data. The unfolding crisis at... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #user data #mark zuckerberg #privacy practices


Be a pioneer – delete Facebook | Jaron Lanier

Quitting means beating the addiction, making a political statement and redefining social life. Are you ready?When I wrote an about-to-be-published book last year about problems with social media, I thought it would be cute to call it Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After Facebook’s Algorithm Change Devastated Organic Reach, How Are Publishers Coping?

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in January that the site's News Feed algorithm would further emphasize posts from friends and family, publishers that hadn't diversified across many platforms faced a reckoning. Publishers like Little Things, despite testing its content on other... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Facebook exploited us all | Opinion

It’s even worse than I feared. I left Facebook in 2013, less for my own sake than for what my presence on the service was doing to others. I knew that anyone who “liked” my page could have their data harvested in ways they wouldn’t necessarily approve. Over the past five years, people have not... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook stock drops after FTC says it's investigating the company's privacy practices

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed Monday that it has opened an investigation into Facebook Inc.'s privacy practices. The social media giant’s stock quickly dropped more than 5% before recovering somewhat. Around 10:20 a.m. Pacific Time, Facebook shares were down 1.8% at $156.41 — down 19%... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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​Facebook and Google executives clash over ‘fake news’

A head-to-head debate between the executives leading Facebook and Google’s efforts to court publishers revealed sharp divisions between the two internet companies’ approaches to stemming “fake news” and disinformation. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #internet companies #head-to-head debate #fake news


How publishers are monetizing their Facebook groups

Publishers are trying to monetize Facebook groups through advertising, focus groups and subscriptions. The post How publishers are monetizing their Facebook groups appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #focus groups #facebook groups


Facebook says warning to Guardian group 'not our wisest move'

GMG received legal letter from Facebook day before Observer report on mass data harvestingIssuing a warning to the Guardian Media Group ahead of its publication of an exposé of mass Facebook data harvesting was not the wisest move, one of the social networking giant’s senior executives has said.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #news partnerships #campbell brown #news conference #senior executives


The Rundown: Publishers move beyond Facebook

In this week's Rundown: Publishers look to new platforms for audiences, and Facebook's Cambridge Analytica headache could have repercussions far beyond Facebook. The post The Rundown: Publishers move beyond Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zuckerberg says Facebook must protect user data or ‘we don't deserve to serve you’

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that his company “made mistakes” in protecting user data obtained by Cambridge Analytica, but said steps already taken and new policies unveiled Wednesday would prevent developers from misappropriating such information in the future. Part... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At A Moment Of Crisis, Facebook Needs Sheryl Sandberg Out Front

It’s hard to fathom why Facebook’s number two has gone along with a crisis strategy that puts herself (and Mark Zuckerberg) squarely behind the curtain. Over the weekend it was business as usual on Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s profile page. On Saturday, she shared two photos from a visit to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Controversy at Paris Book Fair as Macron boycotts Russia stand

The four-day Livre Paris book fair had a controversial start this year, as President Emmanuel Macron boycotted the Russian guest-of-honour stand in support of the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May’s clash with President Vladimir Putin. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While Facebook battles fires, Google rolls out pro-publisher initiatives

The tech giant introduced measures to let people subscribe to publications through Google and give more priority to quality news sources in search results. The post While Facebook battles fires, Google rolls out pro-publisher initiatives appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stocks fall as Facebook leads tech companies down

A sharp loss for Facebook is helping to pull technology companies lower as stock indexes decline in early trading. Facebook slumped 5.3% early Monday. The company is facing new criticism following reports that a data mining firm employed by the Trump campaign improperly kept data on tens of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is testing ways to compensate video creators so it can cut into YouTube’s dominance

If you’re a die-hard fan of a Facebook video creator, the social network may soon give you a way to pay for exclusive content and award you with a digital badge to declare your fandom. Those are some of the new ideas Facebook is introducing in the coming months to test ways to build up its... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit

Stung by Facebook’s pushes for Instant Articles, live video and Watch, news publishers are unwilling to bend over backward for the company's latest pitch. The post ‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #news publishers #live video